A Charmed Ascension
by NatashaS
Summary: -COMPLETE- CHARMED BUFFY CROSSOVER - When Phoebe has a premonition of a giant snake attacking a high school on Graduation, the Halliwell sisters decide that to save all those innocents, they must make their way to a little town called Sunnydale...
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A little idea I had. . .set towards the end of Buffy Season 3, after the episode 'Enemies' where Faith officially goes to the dark side. Also, set somewhere in Charmed Season 2 where Piper has just bought P3 and Andy died recently. I'm going to change some of the details of the happenings at the end of Buffy Season 3, just to make it interesting. But I hope it will have the same eventual outcome.  
  
Chapter 1: A Vision and a Fresh Hope  
  
San Francisco  
  
Phoebe trudged down the stairs in her pyjamas, yawning widely, her hair in a mess. She was welcomed by Piper in the kitchen who was pouring herself some cereal.  
  
'Morning sleepyhead,' she greeted Phoebe.  
  
'Has Prue already gone to work?' Phoebe checked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
'Yuh-huh, an hour ago,' said Piper, nodding. 'And sorry, but I gotta leave you too. I'm working on my club this afternoon.'  
  
Phoebe raised her eyebrows suggestively. 'Would that be with Dan?'  
  
Piper's cheeks started to blush, as she brushed away a strand of hair from her face. 'Maybe. . .'  
  
Phoebe grinned playfully. 'Piper and Dan, sitting in a tree. . .' Piper shot her sister a stern look.  
  
'Phoebe, grow up.'  
  
Phoebe gave a satisfied laugh, seeing she'd clearly annoyed her sister, but all of a sudden her mind froze as she experienced an intense vision.  
  
A giant snake. . .must have been some enormous demon. . .behind it, a large dreary looking building, and. . .high school students? Judging from their outfits, she was witnessing a Graduation Day. One that was going to go horribly wrong for sure. The last thing she caught sight of was a plaque, one that would most likely be their only clue.  
  
Once she came back to reality, Phoebe yelled out: 'Piper! I just had a premonition!' Piper looked up at her sister, the flush from her cheeks gone away now and replaced by a troubled look. 'What happened?'  
  
'This huge snake demon thing. It was attacking a high school at their graduation.'  
  
Piper walked closer to her sister, eager to hear more. 'You have any idea what school it was, or where it might be?'  
  
Phoebe furrowed her brow. 'I saw a plaque. . .have you ever heard of "Sunnydale High School"?'  
  
**********  
  
Sunnydale  
  
As Buffy walked into the sunlit library, bag over her shoulder, she caught sight of Giles eating an apple with one hand, book open in the other. He swallowed his current mouthful as soon as he saw the Slayer, blank expression on his face.  
  
'Buffy.'  
  
'Morning,' she said sulkily. She propped her bag down on the central table.  
  
He walked closer to her, looking concerned. 'You're here awfully early.' He paused before going on. 'Is everything alright?'  
  
Buffy sighed, frustrated with herself. 'I couldn't sleep at all last night. All I could think about was everything else that's happened. The Mayor. . .the Books of Ascension. . . Faith. . .' She broke off at the last word. 'Giles, what if it's too late? What do we do if the Ascension takes place, kills us all, and Faith's there to witness and survive it?'  
  
Giles blinked, looking away. 'I understand why you'd be worried and upset. It's not an easy situation.' She frowned, agreeing with him.  
  
'But things are looking up,' he said hopefully. 'It appears there's a certain "Box of Gavrok that's very important for the Ascension.'  
  
Buffy sat up intrigued. 'Box of Ga-what?'  
  
Giles sat down opposite her. 'From the minimal amount of information we can find about a previous Ascension, there is a "Box of Gavrok" that is mentioned. I assume it is demonic energy of some kind that prepares the body. Without that, the Mayor cannot properly get ready for the change, therefore not ascend. From what we can gather, he has not obtained it yet.'  
  
Buffy's eyes flickered with hope. 'So. . .if we can get this box before him and destroy it, no Ascension?'  
  
Giles nodded. 'Theoretically, yes.'  
  
Buffy smiled, hearing the first bit of good news in a while.  
  
**********  
  
San Francisco  
  
Piper sat at the computer, logging on to the internet. Her sister Phoebe had her hands resting on the back of the chair.  
  
'Sunnydale, Sunnydale. . .' Phoebe babbled nervously. 'Where are you?'  
  
Piper tapped the word into a search engine. 'Here we go. . .' she clicked the return key as all the results listed themselves in front of their eyes.  
  
'There!' Phoebe pointed at an entry on the screen. She read out: '"Welcome to Sunnydale. Enjoy your stay at our official website." Yeah, click on that.' Piper did so, as the page loaded for them.  
  
A big dark red and gold slogan was the first thing that showed up. Underneath it was an intro about the town.  
  
'I don't think there's much here,' Piper said looking at the first page. 'It's in Southern California, that's a start.' She glanced at the next block of writing. 'Just an intro by the Mayor of Sunnydale.' She checked the name. 'Mayor Richard Wilkins III. How important could he be, right?' Phoebe snorted at the ridiculous idea. She checked the contents section on the left side of the page. 'Hey, Sunnydale High! Click on it!'  
  
Piper eagerly went to the link, and a huge picture of the front view of the school came up. 'Oh my God, that's it. . .' Phoebe said at once. 'That was the school in my premonition except. . .with a big giant snake thing in front of it.' Piper nodded, reading the text aloud.  
  
'"Sunnydale is a town on the grow. . .and our young people are our lifeblood. The lovely Spanish style campus of the Sunnydale High School features an attractive quad, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool complete with underground grotto. Sunnydale High is home to the fierce razorbacks. In 1977. . ." yadda, yadda, yadda, a bunch of stuff about athletic achievement. . .' Piper scrolled down. 'Auditorium. . .lounge. . .cafeteria. . . library. . .' She finished scrolling until the end of the page. 'That's it.'  
  
Phoebe frowned. 'Well, that wasn't too helpful. It's just like a regular high school.'  
  
Piper put her chin on her hand. 'Maybe if we check the town history. . .' She clicked on the link in the contents page, and the screen was filled with text and pictures. The two girls scanned it with their eyes silently, until:  
  
'Wait a minute. . .' Piper stopped. She highlighted a sentence, reading it out. '"Colonized by the Spanish centuries ago and given the quaint and colourful name Boca del Infierno, Sunnydale is a community steeped in history". . .' Piper leaned back in the chair, as Phoebe stared curiously at the sentence.  
  
'Yeah, so?' She asked looking down at her sister. Piper squinted her eyes, thinking.  
  
'Well, my Spanish is a little rusty so you're gonna have to help me on this one. . .doesn't "Boca del Infierno" roughly translate as. . . "Mouth of Hell"?'  
  
Phoebe straightened herself out. 'You're right. I'm pretty sure it does.'  
  
Piper stuck out her hands obviously. 'So. . .doesn't it seem like a terrible coincidence that the place you see in your premonition being attacked by a demon snake is a place that was once called "the mouth of hell"?'  
  
Phoebe stopped to think for a moment. 'Indeed it does.'  
  
Piper stood up from the computer and headed towards the stairs. 'Book of Shadows. Now.' Without another word, the two headed up to their attic to consult their book.  
  
**********  
  
Sunnydale  
  
All sitting in the library at lunch, the Scooby Gang were sharing info and ideas on their newly found hope, the Box of Gavrok.  
  
'So,' Giles instructed. 'I need you all to do your bit this evening to see how much we can find out. Xander,' he directed. 'You and Oz will go to Willy's, see what you can find.' The two nodded, taking in what they had to do.  
  
'Willow,' Giles went on. 'I want you to check in with all the magick stores or imports, see if there have been any orders, even on the black market.' Willow checked this in her mind, but the words "black market" did scare her a bit.  
  
Cordelia walked in carrying some school books, looking perfect as usual. 'Excellent. Cordelia, I need you to do some research with me, see if we can find any more information on the history of the box.' She threw her arms up in protest.  
  
'Great. I come in here to check out a book to help me with a paper due in tomorrow, and I get labelled as "research girl".'  
  
Giles explained with a look. 'It's important. You're needed.' He finally turned to Buffy. 'You know what you have to do.'  
  
She nodded solemnly. 'Try to see what I can find out from the source. How close I can get to the Mayor and his minions. . .perhaps I'll be lucky and overhear something about the Box of Gay Rock.'  
  
Xander perked up. 'What? Gay Rock? Huh?' Buffy looked at him bizarrely.  
  
'That would be Gavrok,' Giles corrected. 'And Buffy, see if you can get Angel to help also. This is extremely dangerous.' She nodded, feeling her stomach flip over at the mention of his name. Things hadn't exactly been going the best between them recently.  
  
At that moment, Wesley walked in, smug smile on his face. 'Hello all,' he said, strolling in casually. 'I have good news.'  
  
'You're leaving us and going back to the mother-country?' Buffy said openly.  
  
Wesley scowled. 'No. And you should be more respectful to your Watcher. . .' he changed his tone. 'The Council has given me a clue about a box that we're sure will be useful to the Ascension. It's meant to contain demonic energy. . .'  
  
He was interrupted by Xander. 'Way ahead of you, Sparky,' he tapped the Englishman on the shoulder. He, Oz and Willow were already headed to the door. Oz shrugged apologetically.  
  
'Sorry, man. You tried. One day you'll get the spotlight.' He paused as he thought it over. 'Maybe.' The three went off to their classes.  
  
Wesley turned his attention towards Buffy. 'Ms. Summers, I hope you realise that you must obey council orders when it comes to a matter as important as the Ascension. . .'  
  
Buffy picked up her bag, staring deeply at him as she spoke. 'Look, tea cosy. I have an evil Mayor that I've got to stop ascending here. I don't care what your little Council thinks, because frankly, I think myself and my friends,' she made sure she looked at Giles when she said this, 'can make better decisions here in the moment than the Council can thousands of miles away in England. And I can assure you, I am capable of dealing with it.'  
  
She started walking out, but turned back to him for one last thought. 'I'm the Slayer. You think you can hold me down and make me follow your orders like a puppy dog with its master – think again. I have more important things to do with my life.' She stormed out, making her best attempt to slam the library door.  
  
Wesley was left with a furious look on his expression, as Giles hid a smile.  
  
He had taught his Slayer well.  
  
**********  
  
San Francisco  
  
Piper and Phoebe flicked through the Book of Shadows, searching for anything that might have given them a clue about the "mouth of hell".  
  
Phoebe let out a frustrated breath. 'I swear I once read something about it here. . .' she skimmed the pages over before stopping at one in particular.  
  
The Hellmouth.  
  
'Bingo!' she cried victoriously. Piper read it aloud.  
  
'"The Hellmouth is an opening just under the surface of the Earth that leads towards hell. It radiates evil energy, therefore attracting more demons to it than normal, and containing more demonic activity. A town like this is normally barely inhabited by people unless it has strong defence for it like a Slayer". . .' Piper lifted her head up, looking over at her sister. 'What's a Slayer?'  
  
Phoebe shrugged. 'Dunno. Doesn't matter.'  
  
Piper nodded, as she finished reading the passage, which ended with a map of the world.  
  
'"These hotspots can be found in the following places of the world. Touch the map and the towns will glow red."' Piper did so, as two bright red dots shone out from the page. She withdrew her hand as if it might burn her.  
  
The two leaned in closer at the two dots both on the continent of North America. 'Well, I assume that one in California is Sunnydale,' Phoebe said pointing at it. 'Ooh, and look – there's one in Cleveland.'  
  
Piper turned away from the book. 'OK, so we know that on Graduation day in Sunnydale High School, which happens to be located on a Hellmouth, a giant snake demon will attack.' She paused. 'What do we do now?'  
  
'Isn't it obvious?' Phoebe looked quizzically at her sister who was just awaiting an answer. 'We have to go down there and stop it!'  
  
'Phoebe!' Piper threw up her hands. 'We can't just leave everything here! Prue's got a job to do at Bucklands, and I wanna get my club going. This is simply impossible.'  
  
Phoebe stamped her feet on the floor, pouting. 'Come on Piper! It's not like it's a vacation – we'd be saving at least a 100 innocents – that's what we do, remember?'  
  
Piper tapped the stand that held the Book of Shadows, thinking it over. 'We'll have to call Prue and check with her first.'  
  
Phoebe nodded eagerly. 'I know. We can call now.'  
  
Piper rolled her eyes as she went down the attic stairs to their phone. She picked it up and dialled, Phoebe on her tail the entire time.  
  
**********  
  
Prue Halliwell sat at her desk in her office at Bucklands Auction House. She was looking over some papers at a recent article they'd obtained when her phone rang. She picked it up after one ring.  
  
'Bucklands Auction House, Prue Halliwell speaking,' she answered. She heard her middle-sister's voice down the other end.  
  
'Prue, it's me. Listen, something's come up. Phoebe had a premonition.'  
  
Prue rested her elbows on the desk. 'About what?'  
  
'It was some demon snake attacking this school in Southern California on Graduation,' Piper replied. 'We did some research on the internet and in the Book – turns out the town's located on the mouth of hell.'  
  
Prue contorted her face. 'That's not good.'  
  
Piper sighed lightly. 'Yeah, we know. Phoebe's had the crazy idea that we go down there and stop it – I straight away told her no. . .'  
  
Prue stopped her sister's babbling. 'Why did you do that?'  
  
Piper paused, surprised by Prue's reaction. 'Because you and I have jobs we can't just leave?'  
  
Prue ran her fingers through her hair. 'A giant snake demon? On a Graduation, that's gotta be at least 100 innocents, right?'  
  
Piper frowned. 'You're not actually considering this, are you?'  
  
Prue shrugged. 'Piper, we have jobs, but we also have our duty as the Charmed Ones. I think this is pretty important.'  
  
Piper rolled her eyes, realising she was defeated. 'Fine. So we're going?'  
  
Prue looked at her door as her boss Claire walked in holding a file.  
  
'Yeah, I'll check with Claire now. Pack our bags; I'll be home in an hour.' She put the phone back on the hook.  
  
'Making plans, Prue?' Claire looked Prue up and down judgementally.  
  
'Claire, I'm really sorry, but something's come up. I'm gonna have to leave work for a couple of weeks, it's a. . .'  
  
'. . .family emergency?' Claire finished off for her.  
  
Prue smiled weakly. 'Right.'  
  
'Ms. Halliwell, as often as you do for short periods of time, you cannot abandon your job for two weeks with no replacement.'  
  
Prue picked up her coat and her purse, preparing to walk out the door. 'I'm sorry Claire, this is too important.'  
  
Claire grabbed her arm. 'Prue, if you think you can walk out that door and come back here with a job, you are truly mistaken.'  
  
'Alright,' Prue challenged. 'Just try and find someone that gets as many deals done as I do, and makes as much money for your company.'  
  
Claire stood there looking as if she'd just swallowed a sour lemon.  
  
'I thought so,' Prue replied. 'I'll see you soon.' She walked out the door, concealing the pleased smile on her face.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: That's all I've got so far, but hopefully more coming soon. I don't know how often I can promise updates considering I'm getting quite a lot of work these days, but I'll try my best. In case you're wondering, the text on the Sunnydale website came from the Watcher's Guide. In the meantime, please, please review, I would really appreciate feedback on this story, especially considering it's my first Charmed fic! 


	2. Journeys and Discoveries

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry, it's been over a week since my last update, I just wanted to get the entire storyline of this fic planned before I posted and wrote more, and I'm happy to say I know exactly where I'm going and have already written a couple of chapters ahead.  
  
Also, I'd like to say that what I choose to do with Faith in this story may be a little controversial, and I'm sure some people will disagree with the way I've portrayed some things here, but it's all a case of interpretation, and I'm just challenging myself to see what I can do and whether I can make it believable or not. I've already decided the direction of the fic which I most probably won't change, but CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is appreciated for future fics.  
  
IMPORTANT: At this point I want to make clear a policy about reviewing on this fic. I am well aware of problems that could be faced in crossing these two TV shows over, and that even though they have a lot of similarities, they also have a lot of differences. What I am looking for in feedback is whether you think the writing, the plotline or the interpretation of the characters is good, or even if you're simply enjoying the story. What I'm not looking for are people to point out problems with crossing the two over, because I assume that if you are interested in reading this story, you are willing to overlook the technicalities and appreciate the fic for what it is – a fun fanfiction which crosses over two of my favourite shows that I enjoy writing and hope that others enjoy reading.  
  
I apologise for having to put such a serious tone on – I'm normally a fun laidback person when it comes to these stories – it's just I don't want a repeat performance of a review which I think was incredibly unnecessary for what I have envisioned. I hope the rest of you agree with me and understand. . .as for everybody else's comments, you have no idea how much I appreciate what you have to say and the fact that you're reading this. I thank you.  
  
Anyway, I've babbled enough. . .shut up Nat. . .here is chapter 2 of my story!  
  
Chapter 2 – Journeys and Discoveries  
  
San Francisco  
  
An hour later, Piper was carrying her heavy suitcase down the hall on the second floor. Her hands were struggling to pull the huge bag of clothes and supplies that she was sure she'd need. Eventually, she let go of it, knowing there was no way she could carry it all the way down the stairs.  
  
'I give up!' she said to herself, blowing her fringe out of her face. 'Prue!' she called out. 'A little help here!'  
  
Prue stamped out of her bedroom, already frustrated with the minimal amount of time she had for packing. 'What?!'  
  
'Please can you do your Telekinesis thing on my suitcase?' Piper pleaded. Prue glanced over at the bulging bag.  
  
'OK, but only down the stairs. To the car – you're on your own.' She squinted her eyes, and the suitcase zoomed lightly to the bottom of the stairs and propped itself down perfectly.  
  
'Thank you!' Piper looked gratefully at her sister, who had already gone back to her room to pack.  
  
Phoebe emerged from her room, dragging her own suitcase, her arms hanging back, trying with all her force to pull it.  
  
'I think I'm all set,' Phoebe said smiling. 'Where's Prue?' She straightened herself out, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
'In her room, a little moody,' Piper replied, stretching out the creases on her sweater.  
  
'Can you help me with my suitcase?' Phoebe asked, looking at Piper's down in the hall. '. . .since you've somehow managed with yours?'  
  
Piper excused: 'Yeah, that's because Prue used her powers on it.'  
  
Phoebe looked pensive for a moment, and then shrugged. 'Fine. She can do that for me.'  
  
The two sisters headed down the stairs, preparing themselves to leave.  
  
'So I've been thinking. . .' said Phoebe slowly. 'About this whole. . .giant snake thing. . .' she gesticulated with her hands. 'We're obviously gonna need to. . .y'know. . .do magick and stuff, so uh. . .'  
  
'Phoebe, spit it out,' Piper insisted.  
  
'I think we should take the Book of Shadows,' she speedily blabbered.  
  
Piper winced. 'I really don't think that's such a good idea, Phoebs.'  
  
'What isn't?' Prue's voice was heard up the stairs. Two suitcases flew down and propped themselves next to Piper's. Behind them, Prue walked down the steps, holding on to the banister.  
  
'Phoebe thinks we should take the Book of Shadows,' Piper said with a sigh.  
  
'Absolutely not,' Prue said, not missing a beat. Phoebe stuck out her hands in front of Prue.  
  
'Just hear me out, OK? We're leaving the house for a longer period of time – there's no one here, so anybody can just walk in to take it. . .' Prue was about to interrupt, but Phoebe kept speaking. '. . .AND we might need a spell in there to vanquish whatever that thing was.'  
  
Prue sighed exasperatedly, stern look on her face.  
  
'Come on Prue!' Phoebe urged, jumping up and down. 'I know we never take it out of the house, but I really think we need it now.'  
  
Piper directed herself toward Prue. 'The girl does have a point.'  
  
'We can ask Dan to guard the house,' Prue defended.  
  
'From warlocks and demons?' Phoebe pointed out.  
  
'What about Leo?' Prue suggested.  
  
Piper became alert. 'Uh. . .I don't think that's the best plan. For one thing, Leo has other things to do than just hang around here, and another. . .yeah.' She stopped herself before she went into too much detail.  
  
Prue watched Phoebe's desperate expression, and eventually gave in. 'Alright, go get it.'  
  
Phoebe rushed up the stairs, squealing like a little girl. The two remaining sisters just laughed.  
  
Piper went to open the door, but just as she swung it open, she caught sight of Dan who was just about to knock.  
  
'Dan!' Piper said surprised. 'Hi!'  
  
'Hey,' he said in a friendly tone. 'Can I come in?'  
  
'Actually. . .' Piper began, but Phoebe rushed down the stairs, carrying the big book in her arms.  
  
'OK, I got it, let's. . .' she silenced herself once she saw Dan. 'Dan, hi!'  
  
Piper smiled nervously. 'Listen, uh. . .my sisters and I are going away for a while. Just a couple of weeks to get some things done, so. . .just. . .bear that in mind.'  
  
Dan stood there, a clearly confused expression on his face. 'OK. . .I guess I'll see you soon. . .'  
  
Hurriedly, Piper began shutting the door. 'OK, thanks for stopping by. . .' she closed it, turning her back to it. 'Phoebe, watch where you wave that thing!' She pointed at the Book of Shadows. Phoebe shrugged apologetically, unzipping her bag and putting the book in it.  
  
'We all ready?' Prue checked. Her two sisters nodded, as they opened the door and dragged their suitcases to the car.  
  
**********  
  
Sunnydale  
  
Oz and Xander made their way down the steps to Willy's. They were going over their interrogation strategy carefully.  
  
'Alright. . .so we don't take any crap, right?' Xander encouraged.  
  
'OK.' Oz nodded.  
  
'If he refuses to give us answers, we'll beat him to a pulp until he does, right?'  
  
Oz shrugged. 'If you say so.'  
  
Xander stopped walking, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. 'So. . .can I be bad cop?'  
  
Oz hesitated, unsure of what to say. 'I wanna say yes. . .but I don't know whether you'll be able to handle it.'  
  
Xander nodded eagerly. 'I can! I will! I promise!'  
  
Oz acknowledged Xander's excitement. 'Well, OK. I think I would've done a better job, but you obviously want it more than I do.'  
  
Xander smiled thankfully, as they entered the demon infested bar. Willy was drying a glass behind the bar, when he lifted his head up. 'Hey, it's you!'  
  
'No friendly talk,' Xander said in a tone that was attempting to be menacing. 'We want some information, buddy, and we want it now.'  
  
'Whoa, OK. . .' Willy lifted up his hands defensively. 'What do you wanna know?'  
  
'There's this box. . .' Oz said simply. 'It's meant to help with the Ascension. Have you heard anything about it?'  
  
Willy shrugged secretively. 'I. . .dunno what you're talking about. . .' He rubbed his glass even more nervously.  
  
'Cut the crap, Willy,' Xander said. 'You know something and you just don't wanna tell us.' Oz took Xander's arm, muttering to him:  
  
'Calm down, we got him right where we want him.'  
  
Willy looked away from them while he spoke. 'Well. . .there might have been some gossip in here about a box, but I'm not sure it's related.'  
  
'You either give us answers. . .or we'll make you give them to us!' Xander threatened, trying to come up with a cool line. Oz shushed Xander again.  
  
'Well. . .' Willy leaned in, making sure no one else was eavesdropping, getting his voice to a whisper. 'There has been word of some box coming out of South America, not sure what. All on the demon black market. It's meant to be arriving tomorrow night at the airport. That's all I know, I swear.'  
  
Xander nodded, mean look still in place. 'You better hope you're telling the truth. . .for your own sake!' He pointed his finger warningly at Willy.  
  
'I am, of course I am – wouldn't want the Slayer after me,' Willy assured.  
  
Oz spoke up. 'Thanks for your help. It really means a lot.' The two started walking away, but Willy called after them.  
  
'Hey kid!' he was referring to Xander, who spun around. 'Very impressive – the interrogation technique's definitely improved since last time. Truly terrifying.'  
  
Xander smiled proudly, walking out with Oz to the daylight. 'You hear that? He thought I was truly terrifying!'  
  
**********  
  
Faith lay on her back, in her bed in the apartment the Mayor had given her after she'd joined his side. It was truly luxury; a huge bed, her own bathroom, a Play station. . .any girl's dream. He was a daddy that loved her. More than she could say for her real parents. A father who'd abandoned her and a mother who spent all her time getting drunk and wishing she were dead. . .  
  
She rolled over onto her stomach, deep in thought, flashbacks of the recent events going through her mind.  
  
*Buffy stared disbelievingly at her. 'Why Faith? What's in it for you?' She'd turned to her, thinking she was so sure of herself, covering up her complete feelings. All she'd concentrated on was her rage; how she'd never be what Buffy was. . .she didn't dare think of the times Buffy had reached out to her. 'What isn't? You know, I come to Sunnydale. I'm the Slayer. I do my job kicking ass better than anyone. What do I hear about everywhere I go? Buffy. So I slay, I behave, I do the good little girl routine. And who's everybody thank? Buffy.'*  
  
Faith had been harsh. She'd needed to so that she could carry out her boss' plan – her daddy's plan, because he loved her. She couldn't disappoint him. But at the same time, it had hurt so much to do that to Buffy.  
  
She felt pulled apart. She had after she'd killed the Mayor's deputy, when she could have either turned herself in or run away. She'd gotten too used to running away.  
  
So she'd opted for that. But she couldn't be all alone in it. Why had she gone to the Mayor at all? Because she knew that if she didn't face her crime and pay the price, she would have nowhere else to turn. Maybe he would have accepted her. And he did.  
  
With Buffy's gang, it was do the right thing or be gone. At least that's the impression she'd gotten. She couldn't do time – she was a Slayer, she had her rights! She wanted to fight the good fight, be on the right side. . .but if that couldn't happen, she'd settle for the other one.  
  
*Buffy was shocked. 'Getting rid of the evidence doesn't make the problem go away.' Faith turned to face Buffy, trying to ooze confidence. 'It does for me.' Buffy shook inside, not knowing what else to say. 'Faith, you don't get it. You killed a man.' Faith looked her right in the eye, not letting her inner feelings be revealed – neither to Buffy, nor to herself. . .'No, *you* don't get it. I don't care.'*  
  
Faith wiped a tear from her eye, the pain catching up with her. That guilt had already started to gnaw away at her insides. . .this girl had been so worried about her, putting all her energy into making her a better person – and how had she repaid her? By going to work for the bad guy.  
  
She crawled under the covers of her bed, letting the duvet cover her body completely, like a little cocoon that would protect her from the outside world.  
  
She hated herself for what she'd done. But she had no other choice.  
  
**********  
  
Buffy had dressed herself completely in black clothing in order to easily hide. Angel had been the same when she'd gone to him to ask him for help in the mission, and now they crept the already darkening streets of Sunnydale towards City Hall.  
  
'Do we know what we're listening for?' Angel asked, seeing the back of the building in the distance.  
  
'There's a box,' Buffy explained. 'One that the Mayor apparently needs to Ascend. We don't know much about it – all we know is that we don't think he has it yet. . .'  
  
'. . .so we're here to see if he plans on getting it, and if he mentions anything more about what it might be?' Angel finished off for her.  
  
'Right!' They walked in silence, approaching City Hall more and more. Finally, Buffy broke it.  
  
'So I've been thinking about college,' she said brightly.  
  
'Yeah?' His tone made it clear he was interested in hearing more.  
  
She nodded. 'I got into Northwestern. . .although I don't think I'll go that far. Especially with me being the only Slayer and all. . .so if that doesn't work out. . .there's UC Sunnydale. . .' She looked at Angel hopefully, seeing if he would react. He showed no sign of change. '. . .which would be a good choice too.'  
  
He nodded. 'Those are both good.'  
  
Buffy stopped walking, even though they were only a minute away from their destination. 'You really don't care where I go? How far apart we are?'  
  
Angel turned away, embarrassed to look at her. 'It's your life. Your decisions. I could tell you what I want, or I could tell you what I think is best for you. I believe you'd prefer the latter.'  
  
Buffy sighed, frustrated. Her voice had begun to shake. 'It would be nice to have some indication of whether you care about us!'  
  
He looked her in the eye, complete seriousness on his face. 'Of course I care. I just think that what would be best for you would be to go on your own.'  
  
Buffy felt that her legs couldn't hold her much longer. 'What's that supposed to mean?' He was about to answer, but then some voices were heard nearby. Instead, he said: 'In the bush. Hide.'  
  
The two of them ran behind the greenery, shuffling next to one another as they saw the Mayor coming out of a limo, vampire minions in tow. They were at the back of the building, so things like this were not unusual to happen. It's what Buffy had been hoping for.  
  
'Now, I just want to make it clear. . .' the Mayor said firmly to the vampires. 'This box is very powerful and very important. It contains billions of little demonic things that I need to digest to be able to Ascend. Without them, I am useless. I hope you understand that that is why I'm putting my Faith as head of the job, but of course I will make sure I am there.' His tone had been serious, but now switched to lighter. 'Oh, golly, this is just so exciting! Aren't you all excited? My plan is finally coming into action. And it all happens tomorrow night. Don't any of you be late, alright?' He laughed infectiously, before skipping into the building, minions at his tail.  
  
Once Buffy was sure they were out of earshot, she stood up out of the bush. 'Well, that was convenient.'  
  
'I think we've got everything we need,' Angel said, as they ran away from the scene. Buffy needed to talk to Angel about her future – their future. But for now, it would have to wait. More important things had to be dealt with.  
  
**********  
  
In the complete darkness, the Halliwell sisters approached Sunnydale, passing the 'Welcome' sign that had been seen by so many different people. . .and things.  
  
'Finally, we're here!' Phoebe exclaimed, sitting up all of a sudden.  
  
'What should we do now?' Prue asked. 'We can't go to Sunnydale High – I don't think – until tomorrow when there's actually life there.'  
  
Piper looked at a building they were about to drive by. 'Hey Prue, turn left here, would you?' Her sister obeyed and they ended up in the parking area of a motel.  
  
'How about,' Piper suggested, 'we stay here for the night, then head to Sunnydale High tomorrow morning, blend in as high school students, and see if we can find anyone that knows anything about demons, or if we're lucky, about Graduation.'  
  
The other two sisters silently agreed as they parked the car, prepared to pull out the suitcases, and stay in whatever conditions were offered to them for the night.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Next up, we have the Charmed Ones finding out a bit more about the Hellmouth and finally going to Sunnydale High. . .also, some more Faith and the Mayor. 


	3. A Clash of Two DemonFighting Worlds

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, I am aware it's been over 2 weeks. . .but I am not lying when I say I have been swamped with work. Good news is, during the breaks in work I wrote fan fic; therefore I'm on track on my personal schedule.  
  
I also just want to say (because I am a Brit) I just caught the episode of Angel 'You're Welcome' with Cordy awaking from her coma. I was completely overwhelmed with emotion by that episode, and completely devastated. I won't say anymore, for those of you in other countries who might not have seen it yet, but I'll just add that I have been in mourning by its events, and I hope some of you feel my pain. :'(  
  
Anyway, moving on – that's what fan fic is for, getting through pain. . .here is Chapter 3.  
  
Chapter 3 – A Clash of Two Demon-Fighting Worlds  
  
The Halliwells had set their alarm clock early that morning in order to do something they thought they'd never do again.  
  
Go to high school.  
  
Their plan was to blend in as high school students – hopefully unnoticed – and see what they could find out about school life on the Hellmouth, and whether anyone was aware a giant snake would attack on their Graduation.  
  
Before school, they had headed to a supplies store to give themselves the look of high school students – because all of them being in their twenties, they needed what they could get. Phoebe had already dealt with the hair – all three sisters wore pigtails – and outfits which had plenty of colour and cute animals. Piper and Prue had objected to this, saying no high school student would have worn this unless they'd wanted to be beaten to death by the other students, but Phoebe insisted they needed to look as young as possible for the plan to work.  
  
They entered the store, little bell ringing, and a woman in her late twenties/early thirties gave them a big smile.  
  
'Hello!' she spoke in the most patronising voice. 'You girls off to school?'  
  
The three of them stood frozen on the spot, annoyed expressions on their faces.  
  
'Look. . .' Piper said seriously. 'We need three school bags.'  
  
'Oh!' The woman's voice grew more patronising. 'We have some lovely ones over here!' She stuck out her hands, walking over to some colourful bags that looked as if they were for kindergarten students. 'There's this one here with the little kittens. . .'  
  
'Uh. . .' Phoebe hesitated. Piper muttered to Prue:  
  
'It's the hair. It's so the hair.'  
  
Prue shook her head. 'Nuh-uh, it's the clothes. They match.'  
  
'Actually,' Phoebe went on. 'We were looking for something more. . .sophisticated. . .' she smiled nervously, fiddling with her hands.  
  
'Oh!' the woman walked over to some darker, more mature-looking bags. 'You girls want to look cool in front of your friends!'  
  
Prue sneered. 'Yeah, that's exactly it.'  
  
Piper pushed pass the shop assistant, grabbing three of the bags randomly. 'These'll do.' She handed them to her, taking out her wallet and already removing money.  
  
'Is there not anything else you want?' The woman sounded disappointed as she typed some digits in her cash register. 'Some colouring pencils? A pretty little set of erasers?'  
  
Prue stuck her jaw out. 'We're really fine, thanks.'  
  
The woman frowned, clearly upset by the negative tone. 'That'll be $35.97. . .'  
  
Piper handed her two $20s, and waited for the change. The woman attempted to make more polite conversation.  
  
'So what school are you girls going to?'  
  
'Sunnydale High,' Phoebe said instantly. 'We. . .uh. . .love it there.'  
  
'Really?' the woman shifted an eyebrow. 'It doesn't bother you about how many. . .strange deaths there are?'  
  
Prue crossed her arms. 'What do you mean? What kind of deaths?'  
  
The woman wriggled uncomfortably. 'Well. . .you know. . .you go there. . .they just scratch the surface in the newspaper articles, but. . .the occasional dead body here and there, like there was this one girl and guy found a few months ago – truly horrific – one ripped to death and one strangled, it. . .' she stopped. 'But you know all about it, I'm sure, you don't need to hear it from me. . .'  
  
'Right. . .' Piper barely managed to nod, all of a sudden incredibly edgy. 'Do you live here? In Sunnydale?'  
  
The woman shook her head, finally handing over the schoolbags with labels removed. 'No, I commute; I live a few miles away out of town. I couldn't handle living in this place, with all the things I read and hear. . .I just try to ignore it, it's not pleasant at all.'  
  
The four stood frozen for a moment, sombre looks on their faces, but eventually they came out of the trance.  
  
'So, we'll see you soon!' Phoebe said amiably. They scuttled out of the shop to the car, loading themselves into it. Piper spoke first.  
  
'OK, so I think we can gather we're not dealing with the best environment. . .'  
  
Phoebe scoffed. 'Yeah, that was pretty clear when we found out this was the Hellmouth.'  
  
Prue shook her head. 'But it's different reading about it. . .and hearing it from someone who actually experiences each individual problem. I mean – we're talking demons every day, every night of every kind attracted to this energy. I'm surprised we've been here almost twelve hours and we haven't encountered anything yet.'  
  
Piper laughed darkly. 'Must be a good day.'  
  
Prue sat back in her seat. 'But still. . .how can this place even have any kind of population without some kind of defence?'  
  
Phoebe curled her lips. 'There must be a fighting force. Let's hope we find them, and hope they know what's coming.'  
  
Piper fired up the car and headed in the general direction of Sunnydale High, unsure of what to expect.  
  
**********  
  
Faith rolled over as the sunlight hit her eyelids, causing her to wake. She had fallen asleep curled up in her duvet, doubts crawling through her head, and now she welcomed the morning, stretching her arms out widely and yawning.  
  
Just as she was about to get up, she glanced up and saw a figure holding a tray, beaming at her with fresh white teeth.  
  
'Good morning sunshine!' Mayor Wilkins grinned at her. 'I thought I'd bring you breakfast in bed.' He sat down by her, putting the tray on her lap as she blinked awake.  
  
'Man, boss. . .' she smiled herself, seeing the mountain of food in front of her. 'What's this for?'  
  
He cocked his head. 'Well, you've got a long day ahead of you – especially tonight. . .and breakfast is the most important meal of the day!'  
  
Faith had already tucked in, but stopped halfway through chewing. 'What's happening tonight?'  
  
'Faith, please!' He took the napkin he had provided and wiped gently at her mouth. 'Don't talk with your mouth full! It's so primitive!' She swallowed, looking away apologetically as he went on.  
  
'Tonight, you and I are heading to the airport to fetch a special box for my Ascension. I don't think it should be too hard – a simple exchange really – but if there are any problems. . .I'm sure you will know how to deal with them. . .?' The statement had ended up as more of a question.  
  
Faith paused for a moment, feeling her stomach lurch. Finally, she revealed a little smile, nodding.  
  
'Yeah, of course boss.'  
  
Mayor Wilkins placed his hand on her head, stroking her hair. 'You should smile more often Faith. Makes your features even more beautiful.'  
  
She blushed as he released his grip and walked towards the door. 'I'm sorry I have to leave you Faith – busy day. But I'll pick you up at 18:30.' He exited, shutting the door tightly behind him.  
  
Faith looked down at her breakfast and instantly felt nauseous. She put it aside, walking over to the window.  
  
She just hoped that if they did run into any problems, they wouldn't involve Buffy.  
  
**********  
  
Piper pulled up at Sunnydale High, finding a space and parking the car into it.  
  
'Alright,' Prue put one hand on each sister's shoulder. 'We clear on what we're doing?'  
  
They nodded, and stepped out of the car, slamming the doors behind them, bags slung over their backs. They'd stuffed them with clothes and cosmetics to make them look full – except Prue, who was in charge of the Book of Shadows.  
  
They walked up the promenade, taking in the atmosphere of the school and the students. Their hair and outfits were immediately noticed, and some people started pointing and laughing (Harmony and her gang being the main culprits).  
  
Piper became aware of them, whispering to her sisters: 'I guess they're the popular crowd.'  
  
They walked through the double doors, trying to make a minimal entrance and sticking closely together. It was completely normal – handfuls of students going about everyday life as if they didn't really live on the Hellmouth.  
  
'What do we do now?' queried Phoebe.  
  
'Uh. . .eavesdrop?' Piper suggested.  
  
They unsuccessfully tried to blend in, being observed by every other student there.  
  
'So much for the hair and the outfits helping,' Prue voiced.  
  
Just then, a guy approached them – he was quite broad and wore a chequered shirt.  
  
'Hey. . .are you three, uh. . .new or something? Wait, it's almost the end of the year. . .how dumb of me. . .are you foreign exchanges?'  
  
The three sisters traded glances, opening and closing their mouths. Phoebe eventually replied:  
  
'No, we've been here three years. Haven't you noticed us?' She tried to put on an offended tone.  
  
'Oh.' He shrugged apologetically. 'Sorry. I guess you don't notice this stuff with so many students disappearing and new ones replacing them. I'm Larry,' he outstretched his hand. Phoebe took it politely.  
  
'I'm Phoebe. These are my sisters – Prue and Piper.' They feebly waved.  
  
'So what class do you guys have now?' Larry asked.  
  
What happened next was inevitable to happen at some point, as all three gave a different answer:  
  
Phoebe: 'French.' Piper: 'Home Ec.' Prue: 'History.'  
  
'Uh. . .' Prue quickly thought up and excuse. 'We're all in different classes. I think they did it to. . .y'know, give us our independence away from each other. . .'  
  
Larry surprisingly seemed to buy this. Obviously, he had heard a lot of excuses in his life. 'OK, well, I'll see you around.' He began walking away, but before he got the opportunity to, his path was blocked by a short creepy-looking man.  
  
'Principal Snyder!' he said, almost shocked by how suddenly he had appeared.  
  
'Why aren't you in class yet?' Snyder said suspiciously, eying the student over.  
  
'Classes start in fifteen minutes, sir. I'm just getting my books.'  
  
Snyder raised an eyebrow. 'Alright. You can go.' Larry rushed off in the opposite direction, as the Principal caught sight of his next prey, who were trying to sneak away but didn't quite manage in time.  
  
'You three!' They spun around simultaneously.  
  
'Yes, sir?' Piper said respectfully.  
  
Snyder furrowed his brow. 'I don't recall seeing you here before.'  
  
'We blend in well,' Phoebe told him, almost mocking.  
  
Snyder encircled them, investigating with his eyes. 'How long have you been here?'  
  
'Three years,' Prue echoed Phoebe's reply to Larry.  
  
'Are you good students?' he drawled. There was a beat of hesitation, before:  
  
'I'm sorry Principal Snyder,' Phoebe avoided his question, remembering the name Larry had used. 'We're late for class.'  
  
Before he could object, they rushed down the corridor and entered the nearest room.  
  
The library. Empty.  
  
'Aaah!' Phoebe let out a frustrated noise. 'What an annoying little man!'  
  
'Remind me to do a warlock test on him before we leave,' Prue said. 'I swear – firstly, no one can pop up like that and be human, and secondly. . .'  
  
'Guys!' Piper's voice was nervous and shaky. 'Hate to interrupt the bitching about the scary little potential-warlock man, but we are still informationless, and we have no concrete plan. Not to mention, no one is falling for the idea that we're high school students.'  
  
'We just have to go on every clue we can find,' Prue encouraged. 'Hope that we get lucky.'  
  
Muttering was heard outside the library door.  
  
'Quick! Hide!' Phoebe grabbed her sisters' arms as they ran up the steps to a bookcase, hiding away from the strangers.  
  
A girl with blonde hair entered with a middle-aged man, and they were followed by a slightly nerdy-looking red-haired girl, a boy with spiky ginger hair, another boy wearing a ridiculously bright shirt, and lastly a girl wearing what was like the most modern thing in girls' magazines. It seemed unusual she would hang around with this crowd in the first place.  
  
'OK, so Angel and I got that they're fetching it tonight and Faith's in charge. The Mayor also mentioned some little demonic things in the box that he needed to digest, which I wasn't too clear on, but you did say there was demonic energy, right?'  
  
All three sisters shot each other glances at hearing any variation on the word "demon". It appeared someone was aware of the Hellmouth goings on.  
  
The middle-aged man nodded, exposing a British accent when he spoke. 'Yes, yes, we're almost certain. Cordelia and I managed to get that from the research.'  
  
The fashionable girl scoffed. 'Yeah, and that's all we got in hours of it. Which reminds me – I need a note from you about why I couldn't finish my history paper.'  
  
Giles smirked. 'Of course Cordelia.' The group had reached the table in the centre of the library and all took a seat. 'Oz, Xander, what did you find out?'  
  
'It's coming from South America,' Xander filled in. 'Tonight, just like Buffy said, and it'll be at the airport. That's all we got.'  
  
Finally, he turned to the red-haired girl, who come to think of it, was wearing similar clothes to the Halliwells. 'Willow, anything with the magick black market?'  
  
The Charmed sisters did the same thing they'd done before hearing the word "demon".  
  
'I tried,' she shrugged hopelessly. 'Just a bunch of dead ends. This is super-secret Giles, the Mayor's doing a good job covering up his tracks.'  
  
Giles nodded to himself. 'Alright. We know when and where, how and why. . .it's just a question of what we can do about it.'  
  
'Well, I'm no genius,' Buffy piped up. 'But my guess is – get the box before the Mayor, destroy it, and stop him ascending on Graduation.'  
  
Phoebe gasped, finally understanding this was what her premonition had seen.  
  
However, her reaction didn't go down well as one of the guys, Oz, replied:  
  
'What was that?'  
  
Prue grabbed her head, not believing her sister could be that careless.  
  
'I dunno. . .' Willow said peering through the bookcases. 'It came from over there. . .'  
  
The group stood up, cautiously approaching the three hiding sisters.  
  
Phoebe mouthed: 'Piper, do something!'  
  
Piper acted on instinct, spinning around and sticking her hands out onto the group. She turned back to face Prue and Phoebe.  
  
The sisters let out a deep breath.  
  
'Smart, Phoebe,' Prue scolded. 'Real smart, gasping like that when we're meant to be hiding and are clearly getting good information.'  
  
To their great shock however, a voice erupted from the group that were meant to be frozen.  
  
'Oh my God. . .' the voice sounded stunned.  
  
The Halliwells' eyes widened as they emerged from their hiding spot. To their horror, one of the people hadn't frozen. The red-haired girl twisted her head around, viewing the three disbelievingly.  
  
'What are you?' she cried out. 'What did you do?!'  
  
The sisters were speechless, not knowing what to reply to a girl whose power they weren't even aware of.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Coming up. . .the confrontation scene, hatching a plan, and Wesley comes into the picture. . .I promise, I will update quicker than this chapter. 


	4. Confusion in the Middle of a Crisis

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was a lot of hard work, because I tried to cover everything I could about both worlds, and tried to explain their co- existence as best I could. I know there are some problems that can't be addressed though, so I will ask you to overlook those. . .anyway, hope you enjoy! Please review!  
  
Chapter 4 – Confusion in the middle of a Crisis  
  
'Hey, hey – calm down!' Piper rushed down the steps towards Willow. 'It's all under control – watch!' She stuck out her hands as the scene began moving again.  
  
The other five stopped dead in their tracks. 'Where'd Nerd 1 and 2 come from?' Cordelia pointed at Prue and Phoebe, staring at them intently.  
  
Willow's voice had a panicky edge about it as she waved her hands around Piper. 'Sh-sh-she just froze you all! You just – stopped moving!'  
  
'OK, yes, I did, but. . .' Piper looked around, all of a sudden very intimidated. 'I'm good, OK? I'm a good guy – so are they.' She gestured to her sisters. 'There's nothing to worry about.'  
  
'But – how the heck did you do that thing with your hands? And why did it affect everyone but me?'  
  
Piper took a deep breath. 'To answer your first question, it's a power I have. As for your second, my power doesn't work on good witches and certain demons. . .so I assume and hope you're the former.'  
  
'Power?' Giles removed his glasses, staring fascinated at the three new figures. 'What sort of power?'  
  
They hesitated, as Prue said openly. 'I think they should know.' She went down the steps to the large crowd. 'I'm Prue Halliwell. These are my sisters Piper and Phoebe. . .and we're the Charmed Ones.'  
  
Buffy cleared her throat. 'Alright, in my line of work, you tend to get a lot of this, so please forgive me when I say. . .huh?'  
  
'The Charmed Ones,' Phoebe went on, 'are us three witches that have inherited powers through our ancestors – in particular the first witch in our line, Melinda Warren, who possessed all the powers we possess together – and we work by the Power of Three.' She paused for a breath. 'We each have our own individual power, as well as being able to perform magick spells. I have premonitions of the future. . .'  
  
'I can move things with my mind,' Prue filled in.  
  
'. . .and I can freeze moments for a short period of time,' Piper completed.  
  
'With these powers, that will grow as time passes,' Phoebe said, 'we're destined to fight evil and destroy demons, which I'm sure you get plenty of here on the Hellmouth.'  
  
Buffy put her hand son her hips. 'OK, isn't that my job? Destined to fight evil and destroy demons?' She directed the question to Giles.  
  
He awkwardly nodded his head. 'Yes. . .I suppose it is. . .'  
  
Prue perked up. 'Your job? What are you?'  
  
Buffy rolled her head. 'No point in hiding it now. . .I'm the Slayer.'  
  
Piper clicked her fingers. 'Why does that sound familiar. . .?'  
  
Phoebe clapped her hands. 'The Book of Shadows! Remember? It said the Hellmouth would barely be inhabited by humans unless it had a strong defense for it – like a Slayer.'  
  
'Book of Shadows?' Willow queried.  
  
'This book of spells and demons and stuff that we work from,' Phoebe quickly made clear. 'It's in Prue's bag.'  
  
Prue shot Phoebe a look. 'Phoebe!' she scolded.  
  
'What? It's not like they're gonna steal it or something!'  
  
Prue approached Buffy, arms crossed. 'So what does a Slayer do exactly?'  
  
Buffy began to explain. 'Well. . .let's see. . . "In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer." Is that about right Giles?'  
  
Giles seemed distracted. 'Yes, something like that. . .did you mention the Power of Three?'  
  
'Yeah, it's what we work by,' Prue clarified.  
  
Giles put his glasses back on. 'Hang on. . .the Charmed Ones, you said? You're. . .you're meant to be a myth. There's mention of you in some more modern occult books, but. . .the Watcher's Council never really believed you would exist.'  
  
Piper threw her hands up. 'Well – here we are in the flesh.'  
  
Giles smiled vaguely. 'It's actually quite an honor. . .'  
  
Xander shifted. 'So you're these super-powerful good witches who save the world from demons, kind of like Buffy. . .how come we've never seen you before?'  
  
'We're from San Francisco,' Prue replied. 'We live there.'  
  
Oz's face remained expressionless. 'So. . .why are you here? Not that the Hellmouth isn't a great holiday spot away from demons, but. . .'  
  
'I had a premonition,' Phoebe explained. 'It showed your school being attacked on Graduation – it was horrible, I saw all these students dying – so we decided to come down here and stop it.'  
  
'What was attacking the school?' Buffy instantly let out.  
  
The sisters hesitated, looking at their shoes uncomfortably.  
  
'A giant snake,' Phoebe eventually said.  
  
Oz leaned back on the desk. 'Huh.'  
  
'Well, that won't happen,' Buffy said determined. 'We'll get the Box of Gavrok tonight, the Mayor won't ascend and there will be no snake.'  
  
'Yeah, that sounds great and all,' Phoebe objected. 'Whatever the Box of Thingy may be. . .but my premonitions come to me for a reason, and unless my sisters and I make some effort to stop it, it will happen.'  
  
'You have made the effort.' Buffy tried to be intimidating. 'You've told us, we know it's happening, and now *we'll* stop it. Thanks for your help.'  
  
'We're not leaving!' Prue pressed. 'We're not trying to overshadow your fighting evil; we just want to help as much as we can. It's our job.'  
  
'And with our powers,' Piper added, 'we think we can be of assistance.'  
  
'No offence to you girls,' Xander approached Willow, putting his arm around her shoulders. 'But we have a witch here with major magick mojo.'  
  
'Aw, thanks Xand!' Willow looked appreciatively at her best friend. 'Plus, I didn't freeze when you did your. . .thing,' she stuck out her hands, trying to imitate Piper, 'and you said yourself, good witches don't freeze, so. . .I'd be grateful for your tips and all, but I can handle the magick part on my own.'  
  
The Charmed sisters looked over at one another, bemused expressions in place.  
  
'Uh, when I said "good witch",' Piper corrected, 'I meant "good" as in positive, not "good quality".'  
  
'Oh.' Willow hung her head, a little ashamed. 'Well, at least I count at all on your freezing radar,' she quietly consoled herself.  
  
'And it's not just about pure magick,' Phoebe said. 'Our powers really help in a demon fighting situation; we're used to using them.'  
  
'Yeah, not to mention,' Prue went on. 'Phoebe's one heck of a kick-boxer.'  
  
Buffy looked doubtfully at her friends, then back at the strangers in front of her. 'How do we now we can trust you?' she asked cautiously.  
  
'Because we've just revealed to you the biggest secret of our life,' Piper said. 'And believe us when we say we don't do that to just anyone.'  
  
Finally, Buffy gave in. 'Alright, fine.' She offered each sister a seat at the table. 'I guess we do need all the help we can get on this.' The three smiled weakly at her.  
  
'Before we start. . .' Buffy decided to get some background information first. 'What kind of evil are you normally used to facing?'  
  
'Demons mostly,' Prue informed. 'Warlocks also. Then there's a bunch of things that fall into neither category.'  
  
'Warlocks?' Buffy looked quizzically at Giles. 'How come we never get those here?'  
  
Giles recalled: 'I read somewhere that warlocks can't approach the Hellmouth, something about their powers being weakened here.'  
  
'Hmm. That's ironic,' commented Buffy. 'Considering it's the most evil place in the world.'  
  
'I notice you didn't mention vampires,' Xander observed. 'There's a scarily huge population of those here.'  
  
'The only reason, Xander, is demonic energy emanating from the Hellmouth,' Giles explained. 'I'm sure the sisters have encountered one or two in their lifetime, but never as many as us.'  
  
'That's us covered,' Phoebe said, entwining her fingers together. 'What about you guys? You're the Slayer,' she pointed at Buffy, 'what about the rest of you?'  
  
'I'm a self-training Wicca,' Willow said helplessly. 'But that probably means nothing to powerful witches like yourselves.'  
  
'Oh, we respect serious Wiccans who know how to use their powers,' Prue assured. 'You'll be like that one day, as long as you're determined.'  
  
'What we don't appreciate so much though,' Piper added with a bitter tone, 'is goddess worshippers who think a bunch of herbs and lucky charms is magick, and sometimes even criticize us for not doing that bit properly. But considering you live on the Hellmouth and know what demons are and how to face them, I think your magick's slightly more advanced than that.' Willow gave a little satisfied smile.  
  
'I was Buffy's Watcher,' Giles said. 'I trained her to fight and did all the demon research although. . .I was fired and now I'm just a librarian.'  
  
'I'm a werewolf 3 nights of the month,' Oz contributed. 'I'm tame though. I spend my wolfed-out nights in that cage.' He pointed to the cage at the side of the library.  
  
'I'm the one with the fashion sense in this crowd,' Cordelia told them proudly. 'That's what I consider my power.'  
  
Finally, the sisters stared at Xander, awaiting his answer. He shuffled in his seat, unsure what to say.  
  
'Well, I don't have any supernatural powers per se; I'm just the – y'know – handyman of the group. I help. . .and stuff.'  
  
The library doors burst open and the group at the table rhythmically swung their heads around to see who had come in. Wesley strolled in, pompous expression pasted on his face as usual.  
  
'Hello Ms. Summers. . .and friends,' he said the last part resentfully.  
  
Phoebe smiled goofily. 'Hi!' she gave a friendly wave before turning to her sisters and saying: 'Oh my God, it's James Bond!'  
  
Piper raised an eyebrow. 'Yeah, sure. . .I think I'll stick with Dan.'  
  
Wesley shot his hand at the sisters, aghast, finally noticing their presence. 'Who are they?!' he said shrilly.  
  
'Witches, apparently helping us stop the Mayor,' Buffy said flatly.  
  
'Oh, so now they know your Slayer identity as well? You know, that's normally only meant to be known by the Slayer and her Watcher, but since you're so fine with it, I have an idea – why don't we publicly broadcast it to the high school?' He spoke sarcastically.  
  
Phoebe sprung up from her chair, outstretching her hand to Wesley. 'I'm Phoebe Halliwell, nice to meet you.' He took it, eying her suspiciously.  
  
'My sisters and I are the Charmed Ones!' she let out excitedly. Wesley's eyes widened.  
  
'*The* Charmed Ones? The legend of the three most powerful witches in this dimension?!'  
  
Phoebe rolled her eyes, giggling lightly. 'Well. . .yeah. . .'  
  
Now it was Piper and Prue's turn to roll their eyes. They shared a look that was the universal look for: "Great. Our sister's fallen for a loser".  
  
Wesley continued to look impressed, and Phoebe gave him a playful smile. He finally realized she was subtly flirting, and returned her gesture.  
  
'Likewise,' he smiled mysteriously, trying to give off a "tall, dark and handsome" look. Phoebe chuckled.  
  
Piper shook her head, quietly saying to Prue: 'We've lost her.'  
  
Cordelia watched Wesley being drawn to Phoebe, and instantly objected.  
  
'Wesley!' she called to him. He looked up at Cordelia as she waved, saying "hi" in a sing-song voice.  
  
He stared at her for a moment, but then Phoebe tugged his arm, making his attention go back to her. His glance kept going back and forth between the two women, much to amusement of the rest of them. Eventually, he shut his eyes, took a deep breath and walked over to Buffy.  
  
'How is the progress with the Box of Gavrok?' Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but Wesley answered his own question. 'Let me guess. . .you couldn't find any information and you need my help and the Council's. Well, fear not. . .'  
  
'Actually,' Giles looked as if he was getting a lot of pleasure from what he was about to say. 'We know in more detail what's in the box, what the Mayor will use it for, and when and where he will get it. We intend to get a hold of it first and were just about to hatch a well-constructed plan – weren't we Buffy?'  
  
A smile tugged at her lips. 'Exactly. So Wes, why don't you go home and make some nice earl grey, while we take care of the evil?'  
  
By now, Phoebe had walked back over to her sisters. She contorted her face.  
  
'I don't get it. James Bond isn't cool?'  
  
The bell rang outside in the corridors.  
  
'I'm guessing we're not going to class. . .' Cordy leaned back in her chair, arms folded.  
  
'I think we have more pressing matters to deal with,' Oz stated.  
  
'OK, so we know the Mayor is getting the box tonight at the airport,' Buffy summarized. 'For us it's just a question of taking it from him under his nose. . .' she broke off, looking over at the sisters. 'How much do your powers work exactly?'  
  
Prue swiveled around in her chair, looking for something she could demonstrate with. Her eye caught a pile of books on the other side of the room. She gestured with her hands as the books flew over neatly onto the desk.  
  
'She can also throw people across rooms,' Phoebe mentioned.  
  
'Uh, I can't really show you mine,' Piper wrung her hands. 'But I can tell you that I can freeze everyone in a room and unfreeze them individually.'  
  
Buffy nodded her head, acknowledging. 'I think we could definitely use you guys.'  
  
**********  
  
An hour later, after many strategies were discussed, a final decision was made. They would make their way to the airport – they being Buffy, the Halliwells, Angel, Willow, Xander, Oz, Giles and Wesley (because he insisted) – but only Buffy, Angel and the Halliwells would go directly to get the box. After that, they'd just have to make it up as they went along.  
  
'So I hope you'll all be prepared for tonight,' Buffy checked. 'I'm not sending you into the main fight, but I want you to be armed just in case.'  
  
'Sure Buff,' Xander stood up, putting his bag on his back. 'Now if you excuse me, I'll head off to my English class.'  
  
Willow nodded. 'Oz and I better be off too. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine.'  
  
Wesley began to rise, a bit overwhelmed by everything that was happening. 'I think I'll go and buy some scones.'  
  
Phoebe and Cordy jumped up at the same time. 'I'll come with you!'  
  
They glared at each other after they'd said this.  
  
'Don't you have class now?' Phoebe pointed out, enunciating every syllable.  
  
'Actually, *Pandora*, I have a free period,' Cordy fought back.  
  
Phoebe scowled. 'My name's Phoebe. . .'  
  
'Yeah, and shouldn't you be working with your sisters around a cauldron or whatever?'  
  
'I'm sure they could manage without me, *Columbia*.'  
  
'Cordelia. . .' she said sharply through gritted teeth.  
  
'Guys!' Buffy called everyone's attention. 'We meet back here at 18:00. Are we clear?'  
  
The group murmured as they selectively left, Cordy and Phoebe following Wesley.  
  
'Phoebs!' Prue called out.  
  
Phoebe distractedly spun around. 'Huh?'  
  
'Perhaps we should, uh. . .concoct some potions or something?' Piper suggested.  
  
'Right! Yeah. . .' she turned back, looking longingly at Wesley who now held a satisfied looking Cordy on his arm.  
  
'Can I help?' Willow asked eagerly, standing in the doorway.  
  
Giles entwined his hands together. 'I think it's best you head off to class Willow, you don't want the teachers to think you're playing truant.'  
  
'Yeah, besides,' added Prue, 'we work better – just us three sisters. Too many cooks spoil the broth, right?'  
  
Willow turned away disappointed. 'Right.' She and Oz walked out, heading to class.  
  
Phoebe, meanwhile, went back to her problem. 'I've gotta work Wes. Being one of the Charmed Ones and all. . .' she batted her eyelashes. 'I'll catch you later. . .' she blew him a kiss, and as he left, took a quick peek at his behind.  
  
Piper glanced over at Prue. 'Phoebe fighting over a guy with another girl is never good. . .' They cracked up laughing.  
  
**********  
  
Angel sat comfortably in his crypt, blazing sunlight of the afternoon unable to peep in, trying to read some modern classic he'd picked up somewhere but finding it difficult to concentrate. All he could think about was what Buffy had been saying and the inevitable decision he'd have to make.  
  
She was only an 18 year old – whole life ahead of her – despite being the Slayer. She should've been allowed to spread her wings and not feel tied down because of him.  
  
But it seemed like a lose-lose situation. If he told her he wanted her to stay, he knew it would be a selfish thing to do, no matter how much he loved her. Yet, if he told her to go, she would think he didn't care about her and their relationship, which was so far from the truth.  
  
He had to face the music. Stop denying to himself that it could work for them, because the fact of the matter was it couldn't. It wasn't just the "no-sex" part – it went deeper than that. What could a 240 year old vampire offer a girl who hadn't even graduated from high school yet?  
  
He had to come to terms with what he had to do. They would have to live apart.  
  
But it wasn't all bad. After the 100 years of guilt his soul had corroded into his mind, he had accepted his sins and was ready to atone. Buffy had done something amazing which was show him that he was capable of "I would die for you" love, and she'd made him realize that even though he was a creature of the night, he had a soul which made him more of a man than any other demon. He had to pick out all the positive effects of this so that the pain of leaving Buffy wouldn't be so awful.  
  
Perhaps now he could start over. Try to live his unlife to its full potential, protect the descendants of the thousands he had tortured and murdered ruthlessly as Angelus. Just try to live up to his name.  
  
Be a guardian Angel.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: I know, corny ending, sorry. . .as you have probably gathered, even though I am changing a lot of the events that happened in the real thing, I'm also keeping some so as not to stray too much from the original story. Coming up. . .the gang (with the Halliwells) go to get the box, with a few surprises along the way. . . 


	5. Showdown for the Box

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been getting a lot of requests to keep Angel and Buffy together, so I've decided to let you – the reviewers – choose the ending of that plot. Despite the next scene, trust me when I say I can make it go either way. In your reviews, tell me whether you want Angel to stay or to leave (as well as if you like how the story's playing out). Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 5 – Showdown for the Box  
  
The sun slowly set, and Buffy walked through the familiar cemetery alone. She hoped to God she wouldn't encounter any vampires or similar because she knew that she would have to sustain all her energy for tonight's showdown.  
  
She came up to the mausoleum she had so many times before, and gently pushed the door open. She popped her head around the frame, seeing if her boyfriend was in any range of view.  
  
'Angel?' she called out. She walked in, still looking around, until he emerged from the side, buttoning up a shirt.  
  
'Buffy.' He did up the last button and edged closer to her. 'Is everything alright?'  
  
She stood confidently. 'You in the mood for a fight?'  
  
He smiled mildly. 'As long as it's not with you.'  
  
'The gang and I are heading to the airport in an hour. That's where the Mayor's picking up the box. I kinda need your assistance on the big confrontation part.'  
  
'Of course, I couldn't let you face it alone,' Angel grabbed his duster and started putting it on.  
  
'Well, I won't be totally alone. . .' she took his hand and felt a surge of energy flow through her, excitement she always felt when he touched her. 'We've got company.'  
  
'What kind of company?' he asked uneasily.  
  
'It's nothing bad, it's just. . .they're these three super-powerful witch sisters – one of them had a premonition about Graduation, they came down here to help and. . .they're really useful of course, it's just I get the idea that Willow's feeling a little useless at the moment – magick was always her department, y'know?'  
  
Angel stopped walking. 'Are you sure we can trust these witches? Do we know who they are?'  
  
'Uh. . .' Buffy gestured with one hand, trying to remember. '. . .they said they were called. . .the Charmed Ones?'  
  
'The Charmed Ones?' he sounded impressed. 'That's quite an honor.'  
  
They started walking again. 'You know who they are?'  
  
Angel nodded. 'The three most powerful witches in the world. Each with their own unique power and able to perform spells with barely any effort. Use it to fight demons and warlocks. Yeah – if Willow's serious about becoming a witch herself, there's nobody better to get tips from.'  
  
Buffy let out a small laugh. 'I can't believe you know that much and you never mentioned them.'  
  
Angel shrugged his shoulders. 'Never came up.' He paused. 'So they're going to help?'  
  
'Only because they insist.' She smiled at him, and he could hold it in no longer.  
  
'Buffy, I've been thinking a long time about us. . .'  
  
She immediately frowned.  
  
'Especially now with you going to college and all. . .I think you should have the opportunity to do what you want.'  
  
She snatched her hand away from his, startling him. 'What are you trying to say?' she said sharply.  
  
He looked down, not able to see her face.  
  
'After you've defeated the Mayor – whether it be tonight or Graduation or sometime in between – I'm going to leave Sunnydale. . .for good.'  
  
She put her hand over her mouth, tearfully forcing him to look up at her. 'So that's it? You're just giving up on us?'  
  
'I'm not,' he insisted. 'I just don't want you to. . .feel tied down because of me.'  
  
'That's my decision to make!' she cried out, droplets of tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
'And I've made mine,' he regretfully said. 'You've helped me so much, Buffy. You loved me when I thought no one else could. But we need to go our separate ways. Deep down, you know that too.'  
  
She was still sobbing, and nothing seemed to be stopping it. 'You had to tell me this now, totally break me down emotionally when I'm going into a fight where everything matters.'  
  
'I'm sorry.' He felt his own eyes water at seeing her in this much pain. 'I couldn't keep it from you much longer.'  
  
She ran her fingers though her hair, finally getting a hold of herself.  
  
'We can't talk about this right now,' she said, wiping her tears away. She treaded in the direction of her high school, Angel just behind her.  
  
'Buffy, please, don't. . .'  
  
'Look!' she spun around, her voice a croaky shout. 'I have to fight now, so I'm gonna put on a brave face and be the Slayer. But just so you know, you have hurt me more than I ever thought you possibly could with a soul.'  
  
Her words stung in the air, and Angel felt the worst guilt he'd had in years take over him.  
  
**********  
  
Faith sat at her dressing table, picking out a bright red lipstick, smearing it over her lips. She pressed them together, making it even, and just stared at herself in the mirror.  
  
It would go fine. . .they'd get the box, get out of there, and the Mayor would use it for his Ascension. No problems.  
  
But deep down she knew it wouldn't be like that. If Buffy hadn't found a way to be at the airport that night, she'd find some other way to try take the box away.  
  
She couldn't let herself give in – she was a better warrior than Buffy. She worked for the Mayor now and would help him. She had to stop thinking about the past and what could've been, and start looking ahead to her future.  
  
Two taps from the door echoed into her room. She swung her head around, jumping up as if expecting someone to attack her.  
  
The doorknob turned, and Mayor Wilkins leaned his head in.  
  
'Knock knock?' he said with a grin. He noticed Faith's position and laughed heartily. 'Relax Sugarplum, it's only me!'  
  
Faith dropped her arms casually at her sides, breathing a sigh of relief. She snatched her jacket off her bed, threading her arms through her the sleeves. 'We all set?'  
  
He put his hands together. 'Absolutely. We're heading to the airport now.' His tone darkened as she stood in the doorway, but he held her by her right shoulder. 'Remember Faith, you're in charge tonight. I want everything to go smoothly, and I trust you will take care of whatever you have to.'  
  
She nodded. 'Yeah, boss.' She looked away, not allowing herself to look him in the eye.  
  
**********  
  
Back in the library, everybody seemed to be armed and ready. Buffy and Angel had arrived, looking like they always did.  
  
'Alright,' Xander hid an axe in the left side of his coat, a crossbow in the right and a stake up his sleeve. 'I'm ready.'  
  
Oz slung a weapons bag over his shoulder, Willow standing by him. 'We're good too.'  
  
Giles was the most armed, a variety of weaponry cleverly concealed in each part of his body. He lifted his head towards Buffy and Angel. 'You two need anything?'  
  
Buffy shook her head. 'I've got a stake. Apart from that, it's the good old fists.'  
  
The Halliwell sisters looked on in awe. 'This is unbelievable,' commented Prue. 'To think – they've probably been doing this longer than we have.'  
  
'And they don't even have powers like we do,' said Piper. 'Well, apart from Buffy being the Slayer, and that Willow girl kind of a witch. . .'  
  
'Yeah, they're nice. . .' Phoebe said absent-mindedly, staring at the office. At that moment, Wesley emerged, completely covered in weapons and some sort of armor. It looked as if he was part of some Renaissance Fair.  
  
'Wesley!' Phoebe called out. She skittered over to him, but before she could take his arm, Cordy budged in front of her. She hooked her arm over his.  
  
'Wes, you look so manly in that armor!' Cordy admired, stroking her hands over the metal and plastic.  
  
He gave a proud smile, and his voice sounded strained as if from all the weight pressing upon him. 'It's always important to keep safe on missions.'  
  
A smile played at Giles' lips, as he went over to Wesley. 'I agree, Mr. Wyndham-Pryce.' He patted Wesley on the back hard enough so that the Watcher lost his balance and collapsed on the floor like a plank.  
  
Buffy snorted, despite her low mood, putting her hand under her nose, while Phoebe rushed over to assist him.  
  
'Oh God, are you al. . .' her voice broke off as she touched his arm, and was gripped with a premonition.  
  
The image she witnessed terrified her. Wesley's 'armor' had almost been entirely stripped off, and he was cornered into an alley, fighting heard in the background. She noticed the detail of the airport, as her crush got bitten, letting out a silent cry.  
  
She thought it would be over, but it didn't stop. She saw Buffy grabbing the box and running off with it, every other ally surviving – just Wesley left behind to suffer and die because of the blood being sucked out of his body.  
  
As soon as her eyes snapped open, she burst out: 'Wesley can't go.'  
  
'What?' his voice was painful.  
  
'I have no problem with that,' stated Buffy.  
  
Phoebe stood up from her knees. 'I just had a premonition. About Wesley.'  
  
'Did he scream like a girl?' Giles joked.  
  
Phoebe shook her head seriously. 'No. . .no. He was killed.'  
  
There was a stunned moment of silence. The only sound emitted was a little whimper from Wesley.  
  
'I think it's best he doesn't go,' Oz suggested.  
  
'But I have to!' Wesley lifted his upper body on his elbows. 'How accurate are these premonitions of yours anyway?' He directed the question at Phoebe.  
  
She winced. '100%.'  
  
'Oh.' He dropped his arms at his sides and lay lifelessly on the floor.  
  
She tried to brighten up. 'But the good news is that I also saw us getting the box.'  
  
'Really?' Buffy was intrigued. Phoebe nodded definitely, and Buffy felt her confidence boost.  
  
'We can't waste anymore time,' she said determined. 'Wes – you stay here. Everybody else ready?' She faced the Halliwells, waiting for their response. 'You girls?'  
  
'Yeah,' they let out nonchalantly.  
  
'We've got some general Demon Distraction potions,' Prue announced.  
  
Buffy furrowed her brow. 'Demon distraction?'  
  
Piper shrugged. 'We just found it in the Book of Shadows. We're not sure if it'll work or not, but it's meant to keep them distracted for a few seconds.'  
  
'C-could you leave that recipe for me?' Willow piped up. 'It could help Buffy if. . .y'know. . .it works.'  
  
Prue hesitated, cupping her elbows. 'We don't really like giving out spells from the Book of Shadows to other witches. They were actually only meant for us to perform.'  
  
'Oh.' Willow dropped her head, saddened by this. Oz affectionately rubbed her back with the hand that was holding no weapons.  
  
'We have to leave *now*,' Buffy said seriously. 'Let's go.'  
  
They left the library in a line, one after the other, while Cordy nursed Wesley, who was still on the ground.  
  
**********  
  
They marched together in the breezy night, Buffy leading them, Angel closely by her side, the Halliwells in a row behind them, and the rest of the gang behind them.  
  
They could hear a plane engine in the background. Silently, they turned a corner and saw a small jet plane parked, stairs out, with a group of men at the bottom of them. They were looking around eagerly as if waiting for someone and indeed, a group of men guarding what seemed like a standard sized box.  
  
'That's it,' Buffy quietly said to herself. She turned to face everyone. 'Willow, Giles, Xander, Oz – stay here. Angel, the sisters and I will go and try get the box without a struggle.' She looked over her shoulder and she imagined a light bulb flashing on over her head.  
  
'And I just had an idea.'  
  
She gestured for the four to follow her. 'Act casual, and follow my lead.'  
  
They walked up to the men at the plane, Buffy trying to keep a confident stride in place.  
  
'Hello boys,' she called out. 'I think you have something of mine.'  
  
'Yeah?' the man who seemed like the leader challenged. He spoke with a Spanish accent. 'Who might you be?'  
  
Buffy crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. 'The name's Faith.'  
  
Angel stood closer to Buffy. 'We're here for the Mayor. We believe you have a box for us.' He spoke in a tone that was as menacing as when Buffy had heard Angelus speak.  
  
The man looked suspiciously over them. 'Who might you three girls be?' He looked over at the Charmed sisters.  
  
'All you need to know,' Prue answered assertively, 'is that we're powerful sorceresses the Mayor's hired to make sure no one interferes with this transaction.'  
  
"Hmm, she's good on her feet," Buffy thought to herself.  
  
'This box is incredibly powerful,' the man informed. 'I'm sure the Mayor would've come himself for something as important as this.'  
  
Buffy put on an attitude, trying her best to imagine herself as her enemy- Slayer. 'I'm the Mayor's right-hand-girl, OK? I don't take crap from anyone. My boss needs this for the Ascension – just give me the damn box!'  
  
The man still looked doubtful, despite Buffy's convincing performance. 'Fine. Boys. . .'  
  
The guards around the box picked it up and began handing it to Buffy and Angel. The two of them snatched it away, taking a handlebar each, and began walking away.  
  
'Walk quickly, let's get out of here,' Buffy whispered to Angel.  
  
The men had already all walked back into the plane, and for a minute it seemed as if they would get away with it.  
  
'Going somewhere, B?'  
  
Buffy's heart stopped as she turned to the direction of that all-too- familiar voice, keeping a firm grip on the box.  
  
Faith stood there, hands on her hips, with several vampires surrounding her and the Mayor standing just behind, any path to him blocked by his minions.  
  
'I believe that's ours.' She pointed to the box. 'Didn't your mommy teach you not to take things that weren't yours?'  
  
Buffy muttered: 'Angel, take the box. Take it to the gang and tell them to run.' Her gaze never left Faith.  
  
Faith didn't budge. 'Boys, go.'  
  
A herd of vampires viciously threw themselves upon the five, and Buffy was instantly fighting most of them off, Phoebe kicking the occasional vampire away from herself while Prue flung them away with her mind.  
  
'I can't. . .handle. . .this. . .' Buffy barely managed to utter.  
  
Piper hyperventilated. 'Prue – the potions, get the potions!'  
  
Prue took a break from her mind-fighting, and took the potions out of her pockets, giving a small bottle to either sister, and they threw them at the vampires. They chanted together:  
  
*'We call upon the spirits that have fought for good,  
Faze the demons in our midst so they may be destroyed as they should.'*  
  
A swirly pink smoke came out of the liquid that was leaking onto the ground, and for a few seconds, the vampires all seemed in a trance, staring transfixed at the smoke. Buffy grabbed the opportunity and thrust her stake into a couple of them.  
  
Unfortunately, what the Halliwells hadn't realised was that one of their allies was a demon.  
  
Angel stared at the pink smoke with wide childish eyes, mouth slightly open.  
  
'Oooh, pretty. . .' he dropped the box at his feet.  
  
'Angel – no!' Buffy yelled. Before she could do anything, Faith had seen what had happened and made for the box. She grabbed it and carried it towards the limo. Buffy ran after Faith.  
  
'Whoa!' Piper stuck out her hands, freezing everyone in the scene. 'What just happened?'  
  
'I think the cute brooding guy's got a slight skeleton in his closet,' Phoebe walked over to Angel, frozen staring at the pink smoke.  
  
'He's a demon,' Prue clarified.  
  
'Well done ladies. . .' the Mayor walked among the frozen figures. 'You've just made a revelation about a vampire with a soul! He fights on your side girls, has for years!'  
  
'Prue, he didn't freeze. . .' Piper said urgently. 'Do something!'  
  
Prue looked around anxiously. She saw a steel rod by where the plane was, and with her hand made it fly into the Mayor's heart.  
  
He looked stunned for a second, but then stood casually. With one strong pull, he plucked out the rod and the wound healed itself. The sisters stared, completely shocked.  
  
'What you girlies don't understand,' he said conceited, 'is that you can't kill an invincible demon with fancy tricks.' He walked over to Buffy's frozen figure that was stuck a few yards away from Faith.  
  
'I also thank you for making this so easy.' He grabbed Buffy, and with that, Piper's freezing undid itself. He coiled his arm around her throat, and she helplessly tried to pull it away, legs flailing wildly.  
  
'Oh my God!' Phoebe cried out.  
  
'One move girls,' the Mayor threatened. 'One move, and the Slayer's neck gets broken – if she doesn't get strangled in the process of course. That goes for you too, Angel.'  
  
By now, all the vampires, including Angel, had gone out of their trance. Faith turned back to see the scene and gasped.  
  
Flashbacks of the time she'd spent with Buffy plagued her mind.  
  
**Dancing at the Bronze together, surrounded by adoring guys. . .**  
  
**Heading for a vampire nest together, with no plan of course, but deep down knowing that together they could beat it. The vampire nest was gloomy, only a few rays of sunlight getting in. Vampires lay all over the floor waiting out the day. Buffy and Faith kicked in the door. Bright sunlight washed in and onto one of them, who quickly burst into flames. The lot of them scrambled to their feet and began to run. The Slayers smiled onto the nest. Faith announced proudly: 'Rise and shine, people.' Buffy went on after her sister Slayer. 'It's your wake-up call.' They both pulled out stakes and ran in for a good fight.**  
  
**And her favorite memory. . .in the weapon store. Even though they weren't exactly being good Samaritans then, she knew it was when they had bonded most, been the closest. . . Faith checked the trigger mechanism on the gun. 'When are ya gonna get this, B? Life for a Slayer is very simple. . .' she walked to a vertical case. 'Want...' she broke it, 'take...' she reached out for a set of nun- chucks, 'have.' She stuffed them into her pants. Buffy felt a bit unsure, but changed her mind when she spied a case of hunting knives. 'Want...' She walked to the case, 'take...' She stopped in front of it. 'Have.' She punched the glass with her fist, breaking it, and catching a dagger as it fell. She pulled her hand out and turned the blade over in her hand, smiling. 'I'm getting it.'**  
  
And now, Buffy was dying.  
  
She handed the box to some vampires passing by. 'Take this to the limo.' She watched her sister Slayer helplessly, not knowing how to act. A part of her wanted to rush over and pry away the Mayor's hands, but another knew that wasn't the wisest thing to do.  
  
'Boss!' she called out to the Mayor, who barely loosened his grip. He looked at her.  
  
'We got the box. It's not worth it.' Her insides shook as she said this. She hoped to God it sounded convincing, but more importantly, that it would save Buffy.  
  
He took one last look at the girl whose life was in his hands, and threw her away from him. Buffy landed on the hard ground, hands around her neck, choking noises still sounding.  
  
The Mayor took Faith's arm, digging his fingers into her. Faith looked back at Buffy for a precious moment, whose friends had already gathered around her.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: As I said before, remember to vote for whether you want Angel and Buffy together or not. . .coming up, the aftermath of the fight, the Mayor confronts Faith, Prue runs into someone, and a visit from our favourite Whitelighter. . . 


	6. What Now?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: OK, I'm finally back in the fanfic game! It's been total ages, but now all my stupid exams are over and I can dedicate my free time to finishing this. This is a somewhat celebratory chapter – firstly, as I said before, my exams have finished, but more importantly – I SAW JAMES MARSTERS IN CONCERT LAST NIGHT!!! It was soooo amazing, he looked fantastic, sang even better AND because me and my friend were so close to the stage, he actually smiled and waved at me!!!  
  
Anyway, yes. Back to the story. I've taken into account your requests – I have to say DG1988, I completely agree with you, but it is fanfic, and I want to please the people reading – you'll all (well, the BA shippers anyway) be happy to know this is going to end nicely, and there will (of course) be Piper/Leo stuff towards the end. But yes, anyway – enjoy!

* * *

****

**Chapter 6 – What Now?**  
  
They staggered back into the library that night – Buffy, Willow, Giles, Oz, Xander and the Halliwells – Buffy especially hardly able to walk or breathe. She had forced Angel to head back to his crypt, regardless of his protesting.  
  
Wesley and Cordy had awaited them anxiously. Cordy, catching sight of Buffy's state, jumped up.  
  
'Sheesh, what happened to you? You look awful!'  
  
Xander said bitterly at his ex: 'She almost got strangled by the Mayor, Cordelia. And may I say, bonus points for tactfulness!'  
  
Buffy took a seat on one of the chairs, shivering fingers gently stroking her neck.  
  
'I'll get the First Aid.' Giles dashed into his office, while the rest of them sat around her to give her moral support.  
  
'We're so sorry,' Phoebe apologized. 'If we'd known Angel was a demon, we never would have done that spell, especially considering he was carrying the box. . .'  
  
'Don't worry.' Buffy shook her head lightly. 'I should have told you. I thought it was better you didn't know – that even if I explained the whole soul thing you wouldn't understand. . .shows how stupid I am.'  
  
A brief calm followed this, until-  
  
'Did you at least get the Box?' Wesley asked innocently.  
  
Buffy shot him a malicious look. 'Do you see a goddamn box?!' she croaked.  
  
'Buffy, don't talk,' Willow advised. 'Relax your vocal chords.'  
  
Wesley looked away ashamed.  
  
They talked amongst themselves, while the Charmed sisters found a quiet space in the corner of the library.  
  
'Oh God, we almost got her killed. . .' Prue ran her fingers through her hair, clearly stressed.  
  
'Hey, come on guys,' Phoebe tried to console her sisters. 'This wasn't entirely our fault.'  
  
'Really Phoebe? Wasn't it?!' Prue spat out. 'We made the Distraction potions and chanted the spell, we confused Angel, and we froze the scene and gave the Mayor an opportunity to strangle Buffy!'  
  
Piper looked between the two of them. 'Prue's got a point.' She thought for a moment. 'Wait. . .didn't you say, Phoebe, that in your premonition we _got_ the box?'  
  
Phoebe nodded.  
  
'Then. . .why. . .?. . .oh.'  
  
'What?' said Prue, trying to get it out of Piper.  
  
'Well. . .in Phoebe's premonition, it must have been Wesley's death that triggered some sort of diversion on the other side and enabled us to get a hold of the box – that's why Phoebe saw it in the first place. This way, because he wasn't there to be killed, the diversion never happened.'  
  
They were in awe.  
  
'But it's better that Wesley didn't go, right?' Phoebe said expectantly. 'I mean, if he had, he would have died, and we would have lost an innocent.'  
  
'Yes, but now,' Prue reminded, 'the Mayor will most likely Ascend, and hundreds of more innocents will die. Frankly, one would have been better.'  
  
Piper stared disbelievingly. 'Prue, how can you say that? We can't sacrifice innocents, not ever.'  
  
'But what if there's no other way?' Prue said sharply.  
  
'There's no point in debating it now, Prue, it's too late.' Phoebe decided she'd end the topic then and there. 'We've got to think about our next move. You heard the Mayor – he's an invincible demon. We can't kill him any standard way.'  
  
'This is ridiculous. . .' Prue said, annoyed with herself. She grabbed the coat she had removed just minutes before and headed towards the double doors of the library.  
  
'Prue, where are you going?' Phoebe said desperately.  
  
'To take a walk. I need to clear my thoughts.'  
  
'Prue, you can't just walk all over the Hellmouth on your own!' Piper warned. 'It's dangerous!'  
  
'I can take care of myself,' Prue called out behind herself as she departed.  
  
The library had gone silent at Prue's exit. The only sound that could be heard was Buffy's heavy breathing.

* * *

Faith sat on her bed in her apartment, head spinning at the thought of what had just happened.  
  
Buffy had almost gotten killed. Been killed by her boss no less. If she had died, Faith would never have been able to forgive herself.  
  
And that's what it boiled down to in the end. She hated herself for what was happening. How long could that keep going on? Sure, the Mayor was giving her the material lifestyle she'd always dreamed of, but morally, she knew she'd crumbled.  
  
She cuddled her knees, rubbing her face in them. A knock on the door startled her, and her head shot up.  
  
The Mayor walked in, grim expression on his face. He shut the door behind him.  
  
"Uh-oh," Faith thought. "I'm in trouble".  
  
'I think we need to talk, Faith,' he said darkly.  
  
It was ironic. Faith had always longed for a father figure, and had even in an odd way dreamed of being scolded like this. But considering the circumstances, it wasn't what she had expected it to be.  
  
'Faith, are you slipping?' he asked seriously.  
  
'I don't know what you're talking about.' She didn't dare look him in the eye.  
  
'You know what I'm talking about; don't you lie to me.' The harshness of his voice terrified her more than ever before. She just waited for him to finish.  
  
'Faith, are you feeling. . .guilty?' He said the word as if it was a completely new one in his vocabulary.  
  
She shook her head, trying her best to look up at him. 'Of course not. I'm five by five. It's just. . .I'm a little overwhelmed with everything that's going on.'  
  
He nodded. 'Uh-huh. . .so why didn't you want me to kill the little Slayer?'  
  
She hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. 'I just thought. . .we didn't need another body on our hands, y'know?'  
  
He frowned. 'Is that it, Faith? Can you honestly tell me that's the only reason?'  
  
She couldn't answer the question. 'All I know is that you've given me a life I've always dreamed of. Never would I betray you – I promise.'  
  
He gave her a faint smile. 'Alright then.' He patted her knee. 'Sweet dreams, my darling girl.' He kissed her forehead and silently left her to her room.  
  
"I can't deal with this right now. . ." she thought. Slipping her feet into her shoes, she skipped out the window onto the streets of Sunnydale.

* * *

The gang had gathered around the table late that night. Their main theme was: "what should we do next?" but the conversation seemed to be going nowhere.  
  
Meanwhile, Cordy and Phoebe had resorted to the lighter side of the situation – they were still fighting over Wesley.  
  
'And it was really hard, but we vanquished the fear demon through the Power of Three. . .' Phoebe bragged.  
  
He sat there, truly impressed, notebook on his lap. 'Fascinating.'  
  
'Wes!' Cordy called his attention to her. 'Have you seen my new nail polish?'  
  
Wesley glanced at it, looking approvingly. 'That's very nice.'  
  
Phoebe poked him. 'And then there are warlocks – don't even get me started on those. . .'  
  
'OK!' said Cordy, agreeing with Phoebe's rhetorical comment. 'So, I was thinking, for the Prom. . .'  
  
'Cordelia!' Buffy managed to let out, throat still sore. She scanned her mind for the other girl's name. 'Phoebe! Quit acting like kids!' Her voice was aggressive. 'We've lost the one chance we had at preventing the Ascension – I almost died!'  
  
Solemn silence enveloped the room.  
  
'We have to work harder than ever right now. I'd appreciate you save your stupid crushes until after we've destroyed the Mayor.'  
  
Cordy and Phoebe rose from either side of Wesley, joining them at the table. Wesley stood up also, but Buffy stopped him.  
  
'You – stay there. Make notes or something.'  
  
Wesley sat back down, opened up his notebook and stared at it for a minute. He looked back up at the two girls vying for his affection. A content smile spread across his face, and he started scribbling something down.  
  
'OK, let's face it – we have minimal information on the Mayor and what the Ascension entails exactly,' Buffy stated.  
  
'Well, when the rest of you were frozen,' Piper recalled, 'we tried to shoot a steel rod through his heart, but he just pulled it right out.'  
  
'He followed that,' Phoebe went on awkwardly, 'by removing the rod, and the wound healed automatically.' She sighed. 'He's an invincible demon.'  
  
'Well, that makes things easier,' Xander muttered sardonically.  
  
To their tremendous surprise, a blue sparkly light illuminated the room. It lasted for a couple of seconds before a man stood in its position.  
  
'Leo!' Phoebe exclaimed, true joy heard in her voice.  
  
He smiled at them, but then something caught his eye. He had orbed behind Wesley, and peeked at what he was writing, his face demonstrating confusion. He stood up straight and walked over to the table.  
  
'Leo, what are you doing here?' Piper asked astonished.  
  
'The Elders informed me that you'd headed to the Hellmouth. I decided I'd come help you guys with the problem.' He looked around. 'Where's Prue?'  
  
'Taking a walk,' Piper told him.  
  
Leo looked taken aback. 'On her own? On the Hellmouth?! In the middle of the lead up to the Ascension?!?!'  
  
'You know about the Ascension?' Phoebe was surprised.  
  
He nodded. 'Sure. It's happened before in history.'  
  
'Sorry, I have to interrupt,' Buffy achingly stood up. 'I think I speak for all of us here when I say I was caught off guard by the big flashy light. . .who is this guy?'  
  
'This is Leo,' Piper said briefly. 'Our Whitelighter.'  
  
'What's a Whitelighter?' asked Willow.  
  
'Every witch has a Whitelighter,' Leo explained. 'They're like guardian angels.'  
  
Willow frowned, saying quietly to herself: 'How come I don't have one?'  
  
Leo paused. 'Wait. . .who are these guys?' he directed the questions to the sisters.  
  
Phoebe pointed the most obvious person out. 'That's Buffy – she's a Slayer. She has super-fighting powers to fight demons.'  
  
'The Slayer?' Leo was overwhelmed.  
  
'You know about Slayers?!' Piper said frustrated.  
  
'Sure.' He half-shrugged. 'The Chosen One.'  
  
'How come you never mentioned her?' Phoebe asked suspiciously.  
  
'Never came up,' he excused. He caught sight of Giles subtly looking away, and said: 'You look familiar. . .do I know you from somewhere?'  
  
Giles appeared startled. 'What? Oh. . .no, I don't think so. You must be confusing me with someone.'  
  
'Hey, buddy,' Buffy waved her arms. 'What can you tell us about the Ascen. . .?' Towards the end of her sentence, her voice faded out painfully.  
  
'Leo, could you heal her?' Piper asked worriedly.  
  
He approached Buffy. 'Why? What happened?' A concerned expression came over his face, the kind a doctor always had examining a patient.  
  
'A demon almost strangled her,' Phoebe reluctantly said.  
  
He cocked his head. 'In that case. . .'  
  
He outstretched his hands near her throat. Buffy looked panicked for a moment, but as soon as his hands started to glow and her pain began to ease, her expression became relaxed.  
  
She caressed her throat with her hands. 'Wow. . .' The pain had completely subsided. 'How did you do that?'  
  
'Healing powers,' he filled in. 'Come with the job.'  
  
Xander raised his hand. 'Can I be a Whitelighter?'  
  
'Depends,' Leo smiled cheekily at him. 'Are you a hero?'  
  
Xander opened and closed his mouth, victoriously pointing. 'Yes! I've killed a few demons in my time. . .' he looked around nervously, '. . .and stuff.' He skulked away into the corner, mumbling to himself.  
  
Leo walked back next to Piper, who was trying her best not to look at him longingly. She was so happy he was there; it made her feel safe.  
  
Buffy caught Piper's look, recognizing it as one she had given Angel so many times. She stuck a little post-it note in her mind, thinking she'd ask about it later.  
  
'As I was saying. . .' Buffy went back to Leo. 'What can you tell us about the Ascension?'  
  
'Let's see. . .' He looked pensive. 'In short, it's demons with bigger plans.'  
  
'What kind of plans?' Phoebe asked.  
  
He sighed. 'Every demon you have fought so far has been tainted – a demon- human hybrid, if you like. When demons choose to Ascend, they firstly have to gain invincibility. . .'  
  
'. . .which the Mayor's done,' Oz informed.  
  
'. . .100 days before they Ascend,' Leo went on. 'When they do, they become pure demons.'  
  
'How do these differ from normal ones?' Piper asked fearfully.  
  
'For one thing, they're bigger,' Leo said simply. 'Huge, to be exact.'  
  
They were silent. This problem was bigger than they thought.  
  
'Can we vanquish it?' Phoebe asked.  
  
'Well, I would suggest you check the Book,' Leo directed. 'There should be something in there. But considering you don't have it. . .'  
  
'Oh, we have it.' Phoebe took his advice, and went to take the Book out of the bag it was in. Leo was confused at first, but then accepted the sisters had dared to take it out of the house, something they almost never did.  
  
Phoebe flicked through the pages, as the gang surrounded it, hoping for a revelation. Wesley however, remained sitting down, scribbling in his notebook.  
  
Leo took Piper's arm, leaning in sideways towards her and whispering.  
  
'Who is that guy?' He raised his head to Wesley.  
  
Piper made it clear: 'That's Wesley. He's completely useless, and also Phoebe's crush.'  
  
Leo's mouth opened slightly. 'Uh. . .did you know he's writing "two women love me, I am a sex god" over and over again?'  
  
Piper snorted, concealing her face in his arm. 'Phoebe really can pick 'em, can't she?'  
  
He laughed with her, before Phoebe turned her head back. 'What are you two laughing about?'  
  
'Nothing.' Piper's face went serious instantly. Phoebe suspiciously returned to the Book, frantically searching.  
  
Piper stole one last glance of Leo, before approaching the table where the rest of them were. It was only a few minutes until:  
  
'There!' Xander pointed triumphantly.  
  
Phoebe flattened out the page onto a terrifying picture of a giant demonic creature, and a small article of text beneath it.  
  
'The Ascension. . .' Phoebe skimmed the text with her eyes, '. . .happened in the Urals in the thirteenth century. . .a sorcerer became the pure-form embodiment of the demon Lo-Hash, and. . .'  
  
Willow read out the last part. '"The destruction of this creature was only due to the convenient eruption of a nearby volcano. No spell can destroy it in its pure demon form. . .but a ritual can vanquish the so-called invincible hybrid. This is kept in a set of books that are the key to the event itself". . .' Her voice trailed off.  
  
Buffy voiced others' thoughts. 'The Books of Ascension. We need to get them.'  
  
'There are Books of Ascension?' Piper queried.  
  
'Faith took them not too long ago,' Buffy updated. 'She killed the demon that had possession of them and stole them.'  
  
'Gee, the more I hear about this Faith, the more I like her!' Phoebe said sweetly, yet with obvious sarcasm.  
  
'They must be in the Town Hall,' Giles guessed. 'Heavily guarded of course.'  
  
'I take it there's no chance we'll get in,' Xander said hopelessly.  
  
'Ooo!' Phoebe bounced up and down. 'Leo can orb there!'  
  
'Huh?' Cordy looked oblivious. 'What's orbing?'  
  
'The sparkly thing he did when he came in,' Piper said.  
  
Leo looked up at the ceiling, as if he had heard something. 'Uh-oh.'  
  
'Oh, no you don't!' Piper grabbed him by the arm. 'Leo, you can't go! We need you to stop the Ascension!'  
  
He shrugged apologetically, his gaze still looking up. 'I'm sorry, Piper. They're calling. You know I have to.'  
  
She looked at him desperately, lowering her voice. 'Leo. . .I can't do this without you.'  
  
He shook his head. 'You're gonna have to.' With that, he disappeared the same way he had come in.  
  
'Well, that was pointless.' Cordelia said, discreet as always. 'Gets our hopes up, and then smashes them.'  
  
Piper dropped her head, disappointed by the lost opportunity.  
  
'So. . .' Oz observed the group. 'New plan? Because I'm thinking chimps – and maybe an eggplant. . .'

* * *

After a walk and getting some well-needed fresh air, Prue had retreated to a small bar, where she was drowning her failure in a drink.  
  
She kept thinking there was something she could've done, even though deep down she knew there wasn't. The hardest thing though was the notion of what they could possibly do next.  
  
She was half-asleep, and she knew that she had to be getting back to her sisters. However, the idea of another drink just seemed to be too appealing right now.  
  
She was about to call for the bartender, until something – or someone, rather – caught her eye, and fear paralyzed her body.  
  
Faith.  
  
Suddenly, the idea of going back to her sisters didn't seem so bad.  
  
She sprang up, but not before the other Slayer saw her.  
  
'Wait!' Faith called out.  
  
Prue didn't even think about it. She was dodging every fat sweaty man in that bar, eyes set firmly on the exit.  
  
'Please, don't go!' Faith took advantage of her Slayer speed, running as fast as she could past the protesting public.  
  
Prue reached the doorway and ran out into the empty alley, swiveling her head left and right, searching for the quickest way out.  
  
But she was too delayed. Faith emerged from the bar panting. 'Please. . .don't leave!' she pleaded. 'I won't hurt you!'  
  
Prue's back had been turned, but as she twisted around, she built up all the force she could magickally muster and slammed Faith into the wall using her power of telekinesis.  
  
'Stay the hell away from me and my sisters!' she yelled, infuriated.  
  
Faith's body was aching, but she was determined not to give up. This was her only chance. She stood up, brushing herself off, calling after Prue. 'Please – just hear me out.'  
  
Prue rolled her eyes. 'Why should I?! You work for the bad guy!'  
  
Faith shook her head hopelessly. 'Look – I know I fought on the side of evil tonight. That's why I need your help.'  
  
Prue took deep breaths, not letting her guard down at all. 'I know all about you Faith. The bad Slayer gone worse. Killed a man – didn't care. You're on the path of evil and you're spiraling downwards. There's no backing out of that – you can't fool me.' She spun on her heel and began walking away. But then a sound terrified her.  
  
Faith's sobs.  
  
She slowly turned back to the Slayer, whose figure had crumpled to the floor, and a lifetime's worth of tears and sadness seemed to be breaking out.  
  
'Faith?' she uttered quietly.  
  
'I can't do this anymore!' Faith screamed painfully. Prue cautiously approached the Slayer, keeping a safe distance.  
  
Faith slammed her fists on the ground, denting it noticeably. 'I just need someone to talk to. To be able to confess and not have any judgment attached to it.' Faith's tearful eyes looked up at Prue. 'You're a good guy, but you're not really connected with what's going on, yet at the same time you understand the situation.' She sniffed. 'You get me, right?'  
  
Prue meekly nodded. 'Just about.' She had come closer to Faith and now had the nerve to put an affectionate hand on her shoulder.  
  
Faith jumped at the touch but welcomed it entirely. It's what she'd been longing for. A kind touch that wasn't polluted with evil and wrong-doing; a touch that gave her the sensation that it would all be OK.  
  
Prue couldn't explain it, but she felt all this girl's pain channel through her. And at once she realized what she was dealing with.  
  
She knew an innocent when she saw one.  
  
She took Faith's hand, gripping it tightly in a friendly gesture. She said plainly:  
  
'Let's talk.'

* * *

A/N: Next up. . .Buffy and Piper have a heart-to-heart, and the gang come face to face with Faith again – and she makes a desperate plea. Also, because I'm in a good mood, I'm going to request no flames (which I think are horrible anyway – I'm proud to say, I've never given anyone a flame ever, I believe that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. I hope the readers go on that principle too. :) 


	7. Fresh Hopes

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Nat posts VERY late chapter, backing away slowly, hoping readers will forgive her._ Honestly, if there are any people that have been waiting for this, I am truly sorry I am this late, it's just I'm getting surprisingly a lot of work after these exams which is completely killing me. I've managed to split up work/fanfic time accordingly, and I will finish this fic, I'm just not sure how quickly I can promise updates. I'll try my best to finish before I go on holiday. But yes – here we are.

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Fresh Hopes  
**  
They were into the wee hours of the morning, yet no one seemed to want to be in bed. Their minds were all too occupied by the events of that night to do anything else.  
  
They were trying to come up with a way to get to the Books of Ascension, but every plan seemed to have some sort of flaw. The effort was almost completely pointless.  
  
Buffy's mind wandered as she glanced over at a worried looking Piper on one side of her. Not only had her sister been gone for hours, but the guy who had been there earlier had left her clearly upset.  
  
'Hey,' Buffy tapped Piper's arm, and she woke up from a daze. 'You OK? You wanna talk?'  
  
Piper hesitated. 'I. . .I don't think I can.'  
  
Buffy frowned. 'I hate to pick at it – but, that guy that was here before. . .is he an ex-boyfriend or something?' she asked tentatively.  
  
Piper laughed darkly at herself. 'If only just that.'  
  
'Y'know. . .' Buffy struggled to get the right words out. 'I find talking about my problems makes me feel better, and makes them seem a tiny bit smaller. And considering I've had my share of the supernatural and probably some of the worst relationship crap anybody can and will ever go through. . .I am the perfect outlet for you.'  
  
Piper gazed intently at Buffy. The girl was sweet, and she only wanted to help.  
  
'Leo, he. . .he's our Whitelighter – as you know. He guides us, heals us, protects us – he's great.'  
  
Buffy nodded acknowledging, thinking how Giles was like that for her. But of course, definitely not as cute.  
  
'Except, when I first met him,' Piper went on, 'to me, he was just a regular handyman. He posed as one for a while to get to know me and my sisters. During that time, I fell hard for him. . .and he did for me.'  
  
'So what's the problem?' Buffy asked supportively.  
  
Piper sighed. 'Just when I had completely fallen for him, he revealed the truth – that he was our Whitelighter. Not only that, but how Whitelighters couldn't fall for their charges or be romantically involved with them in any way.'  
  
'Ah.' Buffy right away thought about the time she'd first found out Angel was a vampire, and the despair she had felt.  
  
'So. . .no matter how painful it might be, now our relationship's just professional. He helps us on our missions, and we've tried to move on with our lives separately.' She gazed at Buffy. 'It's not easy though.'  
  
'Tell me about it.' Buffy laughed dryly. 'But, I mean. . .is there any definite textbook rule forbidding you two to be together?  
  
Piper shrugged lightly. 'I haven't been told anything officially. I just have to accept it, y'know?'  
  
Buffy stared disbelievingly. 'Are. . .are you serious?'  
  
Piper didn't seem to understand what was so strange. 'Completely.'  
  
Buffy almost laughed. 'You're totally in love with this guy. That's clear from the way you talk about him.'  
  
Piper was waiting for the punch line. 'So? I know that. But I can't waste my time trying to do something when there's an almost definite chance nothing will happen. There are other guys in this world to go out with – like my neighbor, Dan. He's sweet, and he seems to really like me. There's a lot of potential there.'  
  
Buffy observed the seriousness of her own situation in what she was about to say to Piper. 'Look, if you really love this guy as much as you say, there's no moving on. This Dan may seem nice, but you'll see – your past with Leo will come back to haunt you.' Buffy thought back in particular to the brief "relationship" she'd had with Scott. 'Your love may seem forbidden, but it's passionate – eternal. If anybody can relate, it's me.' Buffy paused solemnly. 'My relationship didn't have a chance in hell – literally – of working. But you know what? I fought for it. I fought for it as if for my own life, and I can honestly say I will never feel that intensely about anyone – as I'm sure is the same with you and Leo.'  
  
Piper hid her face shyly. How was this girl managing to read into her soul?  
  
'Fight for it Piper,' Buffy concluded. 'Kick any supreme power's ass if you have to. The motivation will keep you going – and that love might survive. And even if it doesn't – you'll be grateful you lived through it all.' She fought the tears trying to form themselves in her eyes, thinking back to everything she and Angel had gone through. How could it end now after everything? Why couldn't he see that he wasn't tying her down, and just being close to him would be enough? She made a decision.  
  
Their battle wasn't over. She wasn't done fighting – she would continue, just like Piper and Leo.  
  
Eventually, Piper smiled. 'Thank you, Buffy.'  
  
'Likewise,' she replied. 'Oh, and Piper?'  
  
Piper awaited Buffy's additional comment.  
  
'Y'know my friend Willow? I'd really appreciate it if you could get her in on some of the witchy action. Just give her a chance – I really think she does have a natural knack for it. I mean, the first spell she performed was ensouling my vampire boyfriend, so. . .'  
  
'Wow. . .' Piper seemed impressed. 'Yeah, of course. I'm sorry – it's just we've been a bit wrapped up in saving innocents right now. We will try.'  
  
'Thanks.' Buffy smiled.  
  
Suddenly, Prue walked into the library, an agitated manner about her.  
  
'Prue, where the hell have you been?!' Piper ran up to her sister. 'We've been worried sick!' Prue resisted contact.  
  
'Everybody, listen up,' she said seriously. They looked at her in anticipation.  
  
'I have something to show you. . .something I'm sure you won't all like. But you have to promise not to freak out, OK?'  
  
'What's wrong?' Phoebe said directly.  
  
Prue looked behind herself swiftly, calling out: 'Get in here.'  
  
Faith shuffled in nervously, ready for abuse to be hurled at her.  
  
The atmosphere froze, except this time, Piper's power wasn't at work.  
  
'Prue, what is wrong with you?!' Phoebe yelped. 'That's the girl that took the box, remember?!'  
  
'Get out now. . .' Buffy spoke menacingly at the figure that had just come in.  
  
Faith just held a sorry expression in place, now maintaining full eye contact with Buffy. 'B, please. . .'  
  
'I don't want to hear it Faith!' She yelled it out, her voice echoing off the library walls. 'First, you kill a man, act as if nothing happened. Then, you hurt the people I care about. Then, you try to turn my boyfriend evil, and of course, let's not forget – you've gone to the Dark side! Do you really think that we're interested in anything you have to say?! Shut up, and get the hell out!'  
  
Faith stared at her feet, no longer able to look the angry Slayer in the eyes. 'Prue, help me. . .' she whimpered.  
  
'Look, you don't understand. . .' Prue approached Buffy. 'I've been talking to her the past couple of hours – she's serious. She doesn't want to work for the bad guy anymore.'  
  
'And how would you know?' Buffy said cruelly. 'She's probably been feeding you crap – God knows she's good at it. And don't you dare tell me I don't understand – I've lived through it, and you've known her – what – a few hours? She's playing you – she's playing all of us!'  
  
'I'm not, Buffy,' Faith said weakly in the background. 'The Mayor has no idea I'm here.'  
  
'Oh, really?!' Buffy scoffed. 'Why should we believe you?'  
  
Faith shook her head. 'You shouldn't.' They stood silently, waiting for her to continue.  
  
'I don't deserve forgiveness. I don't deserve anything from any of you. I screwed up, and I know it. Xander. . .' she looked up at him. 'I used you like a worthless object. I've done it so many times before, and most of the time the guys deserved it.' She said the last part resentfully, but then her tone switched back. 'But you deserved more than that. A hell of a lot more. I'm sorry.'  
  
He dropped his head.  
  
'Wesley. . .' The Watcher looked petrified. 'I have probably been the most disappointing Slayer in history. And you've been in charge of me. I'm sorry I've done that to you.' He was shocked by her apology.  
  
'And Buffy. . .' she looked deeply into her. 'You tried to reach out to me, but I pulled away. I did what I knew best – I ran. To evil. Because I thought it was all I had left. I betrayed your trust and the friendship we'd just started to build. I am so sorry.'  
  
She looked back to the entire group. 'I'm not looking for forgiveness, as I said. You don't owe it to me – I've hurt you and your lives enough.' She sighed, looking gratefully at Prue for getting her this far.  
  
'But what I can do. . .is help you stop the Ascension. No strings attached.'  
  
'How could you do that?' Giles asked, intrigued.  
  
She shrugged. 'Admittedly, there's not much I could do. But I have access to the Mayor's private files. Just point me in the right direction and I could probably get whatever for you. I still have his trust for it.'  
  
'That sounds like much to me,' Oz remarked.  
  
'What about the Books of Ascension?' Phoebe checked.  
  
'Anything you need from them,' Faith instantly replied. 'I know where they're kept.'  
  
Everybody was silent, as if considering the option in their minds.  
  
'You've got nothing to lose,' Faith encouraged. 'It's worth a shot for you. If it were a trick, what could I gain from it?'  
  
'Kill us all when we least expect it?' Cordy suggested crudely.  
  
Faith spoke half-jokingly. 'Tell you what – I'll keep a five yard distance from you all, how's that sound?' She lifted her hands. 'You can restrain me if you like.'  
  
'Faith, why are you doing this?' Buffy asked finally.  
  
'Because B,' Faith answered slowly. 'I have no other choice. What I did before it. . .it was. . .wrong. I had to stop. And no matter what it takes – I will make amends. With you guys and myself. Recently, I've realized I have to. . .and I can't live any longer hating myself this much. . .' Her lip quivered.  
  
Buffy took a deep breath. Could she really trust Faith after everything that had happened? And there was no way she could walk away this easily from the Mayor, there was definitely some father-daughter bond there – a weird and freak one in any case – but it was a bond. Could it really be that Faith was finally coming to terms with her do-good Slayer destiny?  
  
'Alright,' Buffy said. 'You have one shot to help us.'  
  
Faith relaxed her body, a thankful smile creeping at her lips.  
  
'BUT. . .' Buffy went on threateningly, '. . .if even one bad thing happens because of your actions, and anyone in this room gets even remotely hurt. . .you will pay dearly. I assure you.'  
  
Faith nodded her head. 'Fair enough.'  
  
'Good.' Buffy looked into Faith eyes, hoping that she'd gotten through to her, and then addressed everybody else. 'New plan, people. We're gonna kick some Mayor butt.'

* * *

Dawn was fast approaching, but the confidence that had been built up because of Faith's apparent return to their side was unbelievable. They were all full of energy at a plan that could possibly work.  
  
Faith was sitting firmly in a seat as instructions were fired at her.  
  
'The important thing is too keep calm,' Piper advised.  
  
'Yeah – don't let him get to you,' Oz supported.  
  
'What you should try perhaps,' Giles proposed, 'before you secretly go rummaging through his files – try to smoothly find out something from him. Ask a few questions.'  
  
'Like what?' Xander said skeptically. 'Yeah Mr. Mayor, you're great with all the invincibility. . .by the way, is there a way to destroy every trace of you in our existence?'  
  
Giles sneered at Xander. 'I said subtly. . .thank you Xander.'  
  
Phoebe spoke up. 'No, I get it. Maybe more. . ."I don't want to lose you. There's no way that can happen, right?" Start off with a negative point and build up from there.'  
  
'Still,' Willow rubbed her hands together nervously. 'There's no guarantee he'll know this ritual exists in the first place.'  
  
'Unless he's sat down and studied every page of the Books in detail,' Wesley mentioned. 'But. . .he probably has people that do it for him.'  
  
'Which brings us to the main plan,' Buffy moved on. 'Searching the Books. Are you sure you'll have enough time to find this ritual?'  
  
Faith shrugged it off. 'Sure. The Mayor's a busy guy, especially with the Ascension coming up. Besides – he won't suspect anything's wrong.'  
  
'But something tells me he will,' Prue interjected, 'if we don't let you get home right now. Is that OK Faith?'  
  
The Slayer bobbed her head up and down. She rose from her chair, stretching out her body and preparing to leave.  
  
'Faith. . .' Buffy couldn't help but worry, despite not entirely trusting her sister Slayer. 'Are you sure you're gonna be able to do this?'  
  
'What?' Faith joked. 'Lie to and deceive a man who thinks I'm on his side? Did it to you not too long ago, remember?'  
  
Buffy's face tightened. 'Right.'  
  
Faith headed out to the doors.  
  
'I'd like you to know Faith,' Giles called after her. 'We're relying on you to do this for us. It doesn't mean we trust you.'  
  
Faith stopped in her tracks. She shut her eyes, his words scratching an imaginary wound into her, despite having expected to hear something like this anyway.  
  
'I know,' she responded.  
  
'And until the Mayor's been truly killed,' Wesley furthered, 'it will stay that way.'  
  
Giles watched, impressed by Wesley's attitude. He'd expected the Watcher to be too terrified to speak.  
  
Faith placed her hands on the doorframe, gripping it tightly with her fingers.  
  
'I always knew that. That's why I'm doing this – it's the only way to prove to you that I'm on your side. Really.' With that, she left for her mission.  
  
A tense silence filled the room that had been full of activity the entire night. Finally, Cordy spoke.  
  
'Y'know, if she's lying and this plan backfires, it's gonna majorly bite us in the ass. . .'

* * *

Faith climbed up the fire escape up to her apartment window. She almost couldn't believe she had this chance at all. She couldn't screw this up. She had to get it right, otherwise she – and the complete Sunnydale population for that matter – would be doomed.  
  
She reached her floor and flung one leg over the window ledge. She bent her body as she stepped in, sun just rising outside.  
  
As soon as she stepped in, she knew the scene looked too suspicious. She ran over to the bed, messing it up a bit, before she heard the doorknob twist.  
  
She kicked off her boots, heart pumping wildly in her chest. Who was coming to see her at this hour?  
  
The door opened, and the Mayor stepped in cautiously, until he saw her awake.  
  
'Faith, you're up!' he said. 'I expected you'd still be asleep.'  
  
Faith's mind rushed with millions of thoughts all at once. An idea grabbed her, as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
'I was, just now.' She faked a yawn, but ended up yawning anyway because she hadn't slept a wink all night. 'What's up?'  
  
He stared curiously at her. 'Why are you still in last night's attire?'  
  
'Uh. . .' she hesitated, saying the first thing that popped into her head. 'I was too tired to change. I just jumped on the bed, and fell right asleep, y'know?'  
  
Luckily, he seemed to buy this explanation. 'OK, well, since you're up. . .why don't you come down to the town hall with me? I have an early meeting, a couple of hours, but how about you and I go out for a fun time after that? To the park or something, to celebrate our victory?' He smiled hopefully.  
  
This was her opportunity, she thought. While he was at that meeting, she could get to the Books, search through them and find what she wanted – what she needed.  
  
'Sounds great boss.'

* * *

A/N: Alright, long chapter on the way, at least it seems to be from my rough copies. . .Faith searches for the ritual with a little Charmed help and the gang prepare the ritual for the destruction of the Mayor. Hopefully it won't be too long before you read that. . .xxx


	8. A Ritual, A New Power, and Chickens

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the following chapter, regarding Prue's power of astral projection, I know that she cannot bring objects back with her when she returns to her original self, but let's just pretend that because she received her power on the Hellmouth it was boosted, or the pages managed to transport themselves. This is kind of a spoiler – you'll get what I'm saying when you read this.

* * *

**Chapter 8 – A Ritual, A New Power, and Chickens**  
  
Faith walked up the steps of the town hall to the main entrance with the Mayor – the man she was about to betray. Even though he was evil, a part of her could not help but feel awful for what she was doing. But it was right. And it had to be done.  
  
They entered the building together and the Mayor smiled proudly at her.  
  
'Now, I must be off – but you hang around sunshine, and we'll have a super- fun day out!'  
  
She smiled what she thought was sweetly, until he turned away from her and walked into a conference room. God only knew what the hell would happen in there.  
  
Faith meandered her way through the labyrinth of corridors, in her mind holding a picture of the room she was looking for – the Mayor's Office.  
  
She recognized it as soon as she saw it. The room's door, guarded by two beefy security men. They were easy enough to get past, what with her status. . .and the fact that their brains were the size of walnuts.  
  
She paced to the door casually. 'What's up boys?' she said, well aware it was flirtatiously.  
  
One guard winked at her. 'Same old, same old.'  
  
'Listen,' she stroked his upper arm tentatively with her fingertips. 'I need to wait for the Mayor this morning until his conference is over. . .he said to wait in his office. . .can you let me in?'  
  
'Why sure, sweet cheeks,' he bobbed his head to the other guard, who removed a key from his waist and unlocked the door.  
  
'Thanks. . .' Faith stepped in. These guards were too stupid for their own good.  
  
'Hey hun,' the first guard stopped her from going on in the room. 'Aren't I gonna get a reward?'  
  
'Why of course!' she closed up on him. 'Close your eyes, pucker up. . .' he did so, and she walked backwards, slammed the door, and locked it from the inside.  
  
'Retard. . .' she said to herself, as she hurried onwards to the closet where the Books were kept. She pulled at the door, and the books crumbled at her feet.  
  
'Bingo.'  
  
She prepared herself for some intensive ritual searching.

* * *

10 minutes before class, Xander yawned widely, covering his mouth as he did so.  
  
'We should really stop doing these all-nighters – I think they're starting to seriously affect us.'  
  
Willow rested her head on Oz's shoulder, dozing lightly. 'I'm just glad things are finally looking up. . .of course, it's Faith, so who knows if we can trust her. . .'  
  
'She will come through,' Prue assured in the background. 'I know it. . .I just wish I could help her.'  
  
'She'll be fine,' Buffy confirmed. 'We should head off to class.'  
  
'What, now?!' Xander said disbelievingly. They stared at him.  
  
'But Faith, and. . .the Books, and. . .' he sighed hopelessly. 'I guess I can sleep on the desks in the language labs.'  
  
Buffy, Willow, Oz and Xander left together, leaving the Halliwells alone with Giles and a sleeping Wesley in the corner.  
  
The three of them sat around the table, silent for several minutes, unable to say anything to each other.  
  
'So. . .' Piper began. 'What do you guys think of Sunnydale?'  
  
'It's different,' said Phoebe simply. 'Actually, wait. No it's not.'  
  
'I have to admit. . .' Piper said uneasily. 'I'm kinda jealous of Buffy.' She leaned in, and spoke quietly. 'I mean, she gets to combat evil with her best friends and boyfriend. We have to keep it hush-hush the entire time.'  
  
'You know what?' Phoebe responded, changing her mind. 'I was wrong. When it comes to sociality, demons are better known among everybody – after all, it is the Hellmouth. In San Francisco – I don't know how – but it's been kept quiet for so long. Don't you think so Prue?'  
  
Prue was staring blankly onwards.  
  
'Prue?' Piper poked her sister, and she jerked.  
  
'Oh!' She massaged her temples. 'Sorry. I spaced out for a minute. I'm just worried about Faith, I want to help her – to know she's OK.'  
  
'Prue, honey, we all do,' Piper rubbed her arm supportively. 'But she's got to do this on her own. It's the only way.'  
  
Prue relaxed on the back of her chair, arms crossed. She sighed deeply.  
  
'Hey, what happened with you and Leo?' Phoebe directed at Piper.  
  
She shrugged. 'Oh, nothing. He came. . .he went. . .I wish he hadn't. . .'  
  
Phoebe frowned for her sister, her eyebrow twitching. 'Still crazy about him, huh?'  
  
Piper threw up her hands. 'I had started to get over him! And then something – someone – made me see it differently.'  
  
'Huh. . .' Phoebe looked on curiously. 'Prue, what. . .?' she trailed off as she saw Prue's head which had dropped to her chest.  
  
'She's asleep,' Piper whispered. 'No wonder.'  
  
'Best we leave her,' Phoebe suggested, and they stood up, walking away from Prue to another part of the library.

* * *

Faith briefly scanned each page with her eyes, trying to find any ritual that would mean the end for the Mayor. It hadn't been easy for her – already twice she's had to take a two-minute break to realize this meant the demise of the man who was like her own father.  
  
'Get a hold of yourself, Faith. . .' she kept telling herself. 'He's evil. Slayers destroy evil, remember?'  
  
It was the only principle that kept her going.  
  
She'd found two or three rituals to do with the event, but nothing had been what she was looking for – a ritual to kill the Mayor in his 'invincible form'. She'd found a way to summon minions for the Ascension, locations of some ancient trinkets that unleashed some hell or other, and a bizarre way to request the help of a giant chicken.  
  
The sooner she got away from that one, the better.  
  
A faint pinkish light flashed for a second. Faith jumped back, more terrified than she thought she would be.  
  
But then Prue stood in its position, frantically looking around.  
  
'Faith!' she got to her knees to see the books Faith was looking through.  
  
'Prue, how'd you get here?' Faith uttered urgently.  
  
Prue thought back to what had happened. 'I. . .I don't know. I guess I wanted to be here badly enough and I just sorta. . .ended up here.'  
  
'You have to go!' Faith pushed her away. 'If anybody sees you, we're both dead!'  
  
'OK, but. . .' Prue paused, looking down at her body expectantly. 'I don't know _how_.'  
  
Faith anxiously swung her head back, looking at the locked door. Faint shadows of the men who had let her in were visible, but no other commotion seemed to be going on outside.  
  
Faith let out a frustrated noise, attention torn between the Books and Prue.  
  
'OK, look. . .I don't think I have a lot of time left. While you're here, try help me out with the searching. Otherwise, think of a way to get back to the library!'  
  
'Uh. . .OK, alright. . .' Prue grabbed the first book she saw and started flicking through it.  
  
'No. . .no. . .' she hesitated at an awkward picture, '. . .is that a giant chicken?'  
  
Within a few seconds, the image of Prue started fading away.  
  
'Faith!' she called. She flicked over one last page, and her body disappeared completely. Faith sat cross legged on the floor, her mouth slightly open. She had been in the world of demons and magick for a while now, but it never failed to surprise her.  
  
Shaking away her thoughts, she glanced at the page that Prue had left the book in.  
  
That was it.  
  
Spell for Vanquishing a Creature Preparing to Ascend.  
  
'Prue, girl, I love you!' she said to no one in particular. She lifted up the book in the air, reading the page over and over. Yep, this was it. And not a minute too soon – she could already here the meeting closing up a couple of corridors away.  
  
Not wasting any time, she ripped the page out effortlessly, along with the page before and the page after, just in case. Folding them twice, she tucked them into her inside left pocket, and slammed the book shut, along with any others that had been open. Piling them on top of one another, she stacked them back in the closet, and shut the door of it firmly.  
  
Patting her inside pocket, for some strange reason checking that the pages were indeed there, she finally felt confident about herself.  
  
A familiar voice rang through the corridor, and her heartbeat speeded up.  
  
'Yes, that's wonderful – I'll see you and Mrs. Litman at golf this weekend!'  
  
Faith tucked her hands innocently behind her back, staring absent-mindedly at the ceiling. Just act casual, don't tense up. . .  
  
The Mayor gave a half-hearted laugh, pushing away the two guards at the door and unlocking it with his own key. Faith stole one more look at the pocket containing the papers, and then lifted her head up.  
  
'Faith!' he sounded genuinely surprised. 'What are you doing here?'  
  
She shrugged nonchalantly. 'Nothing, boss, just got bored. . .figured I'd stop by here and wait for you.'  
  
'Isn't that sweet?' he walked over to her and took her hand gently. 'Now – looks like I've got another pesky conference to attend, but this one shouldn't be so bad. Could you wait a little longer?'  
  
She nodded stiffly. 'Sure.'  
  
He clapped his hands together. 'I can get them to bring you something if you want. Some food? Games? Someone for you to play with?'  
  
Inside herself she flinched at the last comment. 'No, I'll. . .I'll be OK. You just do your thing.'  
  
He smiled brightly. 'Alrighty then. I'll be done soon, but how does a picnic in the park sound?'  
  
'Perfect.' She put her hands in her pockets.  
  
He gave her a small wave and left the office.  
  
She didn't know how she'd make it through these next few hours, but she couldn't risk leaving the building. She felt the pages getting heavier and heavier in her pocket – and as a burden on her shoulders.

* * *

Prue jerked her head up, drawing in a sharp breath. She took in her surroundings, and realized she was back in the library.  
  
'Piper. . .Phoebe. . .' she called out her sisters' names when she didn't see them in any direct view. Sure enough, they rushed in from Giles' office quickly.  
  
'Honey, what is it?' Phoebe asked concerned. 'You had a nightmare?'  
  
'No. . .' Prue's voice was shaking slightly. 'I think I unlocked a new power.'  
  
'Which is?' Piper asked speedily.  
  
Prue shook her head, remembering everything that had happened as if in a blurred dream. 'I was with Faith. . .I was helping her find the ritual. . .and I just. . .appeared and disappeared.'  
  
'Prue, that was probably a dream, sweetie,' Piper comforted. 'Faith hasn't been in touch with any of us.'  
  
'No, Piper, it was real,' Prue pressed. 'I was there. With Faith, in an office. I touched a book. . .and I helped her.'  
  
'So you like. . .astral projected?' Phoebe guessed.  
  
'Yeah, I guess. . .I did.' Prue mildly smiled, but exhaustion remained with her.  
  
'Just relax Prue,' Piper calmed her. 'Take deep breaths. Unlocking that power must've taken a lot out of you.'  
  
'Yeah, I'll just. . .' Prue contemplated whether to stand up or remain sitting down. '. . .get a drink of water.'  
  
She stood up from her seat, as Buffy and the Scooby Gang filtered into the library.  
  
'I think that might win it as the longest hour of my life,' Xander declared.  
  
'Couldn't stop thinking about Faith?' Willow asked him.  
  
'Huh, no! Where'd you get that idea?' Xander let out an insulted noise before giving in. 'OK. . .yes. But in _no_ way was she naked in _any_ of these thoughts.'  
  
Willow scolded him with a look.  
  
'Any news?' Buffy asked the library crew, Wesley starting himself awake and Giles coming out from bookshelves.  
  
'Kinda. . .' Phoebe looked over hopefully at Prue, who had just managed to pour herself some water.  
  
'OK. . .' She put the cup down. 'I sorta. . .unlocked a new power, and uh. . .astral projected to where Faith was.'  
  
'Oh God, the Mayor didn't see you, did he?' Willow sounded worried.  
  
'No, luckily, we were in his office alone – the door was locked. Point is, Faith got access to the Books, and apparently, no one suspected her.'  
  
'Good.' Buffy nodded her head. 'Do you know when she'll get to us?'  
  
Prue shook her head. 'No idea. Hopefully she found what she was looking for.'  
  
'Hey, Prue, I was thinking. . .' Piper cautiously approached the subject. 'When you astral projected to Faith, you were just thinking about her, right?'  
  
Prue nodded.  
  
'Well. . .' Piper wrung her hands. 'What if you try do that again, and see if she managed to find the ritual? If she did, maybe you could take it off her. We could start working on it.'  
  
'I guess. . .' Prue rubbed her hands on her jeans, trying not to sound nervous. 'But wouldn't it be really risky, in case the Mayor saw me?'  
  
'If it's too dangerous, you could just get yourself right out of there,' Phoebe affirmed. 'Faith could say you were spying or something, without her looking like the bad guy. Or I guess in her case – the good guy.'  
  
'Alright. . .' Prue said reluctantly. To make herself comfortable, she dropped down to the floor, crossed her legs, and took deep breaths.  
  
Concentrating hard on the image of Faith in her mind's eye, she tried to activate her newly-found power.

* * *

Faith paced up and down the Mayor's office, every few minutes glancing at his big sunshine clock on the wall. As every minute passed, the more nervous she got. She couldn't believe she was being such a chicken. She was the Chosen One, for God's sake! Well, one of two, but still! If she was this afraid of one man, what would she be like fighting other demons intent on destroying the world?  
  
A sparkling pink light startled her once again. Her recovery time was shorter now that she knew it was Prue appearing in her presence.  
  
'Faith!' Prue ran over to the girl. 'Is everything OK?'  
  
Faith nodded eagerly. 'Yeah – I found the ritual!' She opened the side of her jacket and removed the folded up pages. 'Take them before the Mayor notices anything's missing.' She clapped the sheets of paper into Prue's hand.  
  
Prue skimmed her eyes over them quickly – the first page was a picture, the second contained the ritual needed, the third some spell to make demons allied to your side. 'Nice work Faith!'  
  
Faith smiled shyly. 'It was actually you that left that page open when you disappeared. I just carried out the oh-so-effective page-ripping out.'  
  
Prue looked up from the pages, letting out a quick smile. 'You know you did so much more than that.'  
  
Faith beamed inside. Despite all the worry and the guilt, it was all worth it in the end.  
  
'So, can you take them with you?' Faith queried.  
  
Prue contorted her face. 'I have no idea. . .I guess I could try.' She tucked them in her pocket, and whispering 'bye', she shut her eyes and let herself be pulled back to the rest of her body.

* * *

She took in a short gasp and raised her head. She was back in the library, and the rest of them were staring at her with wide eyes.  
  
'Well?' Phoebe said, folding her hands together.  
  
Prue instantly felt for the pages. A soft crinkling sound confirmed what she'd hoped for. 'Yes!' Grabbing them out of her inside pocket, she leapt up, unfolded them, and waved them around.  
  
'I got it.'

* * *

The desk was cluttered with objects for the ritual. Herbs, stones, incense, candles, amulets – it was more precise than they would've imagined.  
  
'Alright,' Piper gave the table a quick once-over. 'I _think_ that's everything.'  
  
Prue gave a dark laugh. 'Well, if it isn't, we can certainly use all this stuff for the spells we do in the next _year_ or so.'  
  
'Yeah, about that – thanks for the supplies Giles.' Phoebe gave the former Watcher a grateful smile. 'This is quite a collection for someone who isn't a witch.'  
  
'Actually,' Willow piped up, 'a lot of the stuff is mine. A-and the magick store's, which I go to.'  
  
Piper cocked her head, as a little reminder popped up in her head. 'Uh. . .Willow, right?' she checked. Willow nodded nervously at being talked to so directly by a great witch.  
  
'You wanna help us make this potion and set up the ritual? God knows we need it with all this stuff. . .' she waved her hand vaguely at the table. 'What do you say?'  
  
Buffy raised her head, biting her bottom lip anxiously.  
  
Willow's voice came out as a little squeak. 'Love to.' Piper took her hand in a friendly gesture.  
  
'Wait a minute. . .' Prue said, reading the page. 'It says here this ritual has to be performed exactly on top of the Hellmouth.' She looked up quizzically. 'Where is that?'  
  
Giles answered her. 'Conveniently, right here.'  
  
'What – underneath the library?' Piper said disbelievingly.  
  
Xander, Willow, Buffy and Giles replied in unison: 'Uh-huh.'  
  
The witches got to their ritual preparation. Phoebe took a container of black sand and poured it in a circle on the higher level of the library – up the small steps and away from the entrance. She scattered a red sand pentagram, with all five points touching the circle. At each point, she lit a candle – already it was looking threatening.  
  
Piper and Willow stood over the cauldron that Willow had provided, listening to the ingredients that Prue was reading out.  
  
Giles and Wesley observed each of the amulets, cross-referencing them with occult books that lay open in their arms. When they were confident with their meanings, they handed one to each person in the room. Before they did, Giles checked with the witches: 'You girls I assume have already taken care of protection charms on yourselves?'  
  
'Got it covered,' Willow said with a grin, looking up from the cauldron where she was placing some beetroot.  
  
Wesley handed an amulet to Xander and, lingering on Cordelia, gave her one too. Afterward, he hung one around his own neck.  
  
'Each of these are for your own protection,' Wesley clarified. 'The spell that will be performed is a very powerful one, and we must take extra precautions so that no one – apart from the Mayor of course – gets hurt.'  
  
Giles handed amulets to Buffy and Oz. They observed the trinkets interestingly. 'You must not take these off at any time until the Mayor is completely destroyed. The result could be anything near fatal.'  
  
Buffy hung the amulet round her neck. 'Wow, I feel like I'm getting that talk on the plane about safety stuff before you take off.'  
  
Giles smiled snidely, putting on his best Watcher face. 'Joke all you want, but don't blame me when you're flapping your arms around and clucking like a chicken.'  
  
Prue froze and raised her eyebrows as she remembered the ritual in the Books of Ascension. Why were there chickens everywhere? She shook away the strange thoughts on her mind.  
  
'Hey. . .' Phoebe turned to the group. 'How is Faith gonna get the Mayor to come here?'  
  
Prue looked up and out the window. She only hoped the Slayer would manage to keep a convincing story all on her own.

* * *

A/N: Coming up – the final showdown between the Mayor and the Scoobies. But will Faith manage to trick him fully and lure him into the library without any problems? 


	9. Truth and Alliance

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, I'm back from holiday, therefore I bring you this update, but I won't have access to my computer until 8th August, so expect the next one at that date the earliest. This is the penultimate chapter.

* * *

** Chapter 9 – Truth and Alliance  
**  
Faith sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket in the middle of the park, the Mayor sitting opposite. She nibbled at her sandwich nervously, looking up at him every once in a while, but then looking back down. They were surrounded by guards of course.  
  
'Faithy, you're acting like a little mouse on that sandwich. You haven't even had breakfast, I'd expect you to be eating like a horse. Is something wrong with the food?'  
  
She frowned a little. 'No, no – the food's five by five. I'm just. . .not hungry is all.'  
  
The Mayor peered at Faith deeply. 'Since yesterday, after we got the Box, you've been acting strangely.'  
  
She brushed away a strand of hair from her cheek. 'Nah, I guess. . .reality's starting to kick in.'  
  
His eyes narrowed. 'You realize what you're doing is precisely contrary to what your powers were given to you for. You're having second thoughts about joining me.'  
  
'No!' she urged, all of a sudden her heart pounding. She could act better than this, she knew she could.  
  
'You're not thinking about contacting Buffy, are you?' he said it with so much hatred, she could hardly have said yes if the situation had been different.  
  
'I'd never do that! I can't do that. She and all her friends hate me for what I've done; they wouldn't let me even if I wanted to!' Which was partly true, she added silently.  
  
His eyebrows set themselves into a dark brooding expression. 'Are you implying that not even one bit of you wants to talk to her?'  
  
'Of course not!' Faith confirmed. This one had been too close. The Mayor was rapidly losing his trust in her. Even though she'd fulfilled her main role – getting the ritual – she still had to find a way to get in touch with Prue and her sisters to see where and when – even how – she could deliver the Mayor to them so that he could be. . .destroyed.  
  
And then the idea hit her. It was now or never.  
  
'You know what?' Faith said confidently, 'I've had enough of Buffy and her annoying little friends.'  
  
He chuckled. 'You and me both sugarplum.'  
  
'What say we eliminate them. . .' she edged closer to him, '. . .permanently.'  
  
He looked mildly taken aback. 'Well, I'd do it in a minute, but I thought you said you didn't want us to have extra bodies on our hands.'  
  
'I changed my mind,' she said firmly. 'No one'll miss 'em.'  
  
He shrugged offhandedly. 'Very well. I'll have my men-'  
  
'No!' she insisted. 'I mean – men if you want, but if you and I go alone together, that would be better justice, right?'  
  
For a moment he looked doubtful. That face passed within seconds, and he brightened up. 'Fine. Tonight at seven, at their little library where they hang around. I'll have some business, but you meet me there at the main entrance, alright?'  
  
Faith smiled, letting the genuine content of success show. 'Great. By tonight, they'll all no longer be our problem.'  
  
'Indeed.' He nodded, took a red apple and bit into it satisfactorily.

* * *

Phoebe took a deep breath, looking over everything they'd done. 'Wow. Not bad.'  
  
Every object had been used for the potion, every amulet assigned, every symbol drawn. Piper was pouring the elaborate potion into small vials for her and her sisters. She was just about to pour one for Willow, when Prue stopped her.  
  
'Piper, since when was it the Power of Four?'  
  
Piper raised an eyebrow at her sister. 'I'm pouring some potion for Willow. She's helped make it, she might as well do the spell part with us.'  
  
Prue gave an edgy smile, the kind given by salesmen when the customer points out something wrong with the product. 'Piper, your kindness and generosity are great, but uh. . .1: the Power of Three won't function at its best, and 2: the spell clearly states that only the Charmed Ones can perform it.'  
  
'What?' Piper said skeptically. 'Let me see that. . .' she grabbed the page off the desk, her face relaxing slowly. 'Huh. I didn't know that.'  
  
'God,' Buffy said, 'it makes us appreciate you guys even more.'  
  
Phoebe smiled. 'It's our job.'  
  
Suddenly, the telephone rang on the reception. Giles went to pick it up.  
  
'Sunnydale High School library, Rupert Giles speaking.'  
  
'Giles, it's me,' Faith's urgent voice sounded on the other end. 'Big news on the front. The Mayor's coming armed tonight at 7 to the library. You guys ready for him?'  
  
Giles cast a brief glance at the prepared ritual. 'More than ever, I'm sure.'  
  
Faith sounded slightly relieved. 'Good. I'll be there at 6. Arm yourselves.' She hung up the phone with no pleasantries.  
  
Giles peered curiously at the device in his hand, and then replaced it on the hook. 'That was Faith.'  
  
The group perked. 'And?' Buffy asked keenly.  
  
'The Mayor's coming here in. . .' Giles looked at the clock, 'oh – 3 hours?'  
  
Somehow, it seemed that reality had just hit everyone. This was actually going to happen.  
  
'He'll have lackies,' Giles added. 'Weapons are required.'  
  
They simultaneously walked over to the cage where they hid the weapons. Xander muttered to Oz:  
  
'Lackies? Check it out – Giles is learning cool new words.'  
  
Oz cocked his head. 'Until he uses "boudoir", I remain unimpressed. . .'

* * *

Faith stepped impatiently along the sidewalk, sunset beginning to fall. It was five to six, about two hours since she'd talked to Giles.  
  
She couldn't believe in a couple of hours, this could all be over. She could start her life over finally.  
  
The thought lifted her spirits, until she caught sight of the Sunnydale High entrance, and a little gulp found its way down her throat. Confidently, she strode forward. The door got closer and closer – so close that she stuck out her hand to open it-  
  
'Faith?'  
  
She jumped, withdrawing her hand abruptly. Then she realized who the voice belonged to, a sick familiarity grasping her. Dread engulfed her consciousness, turning her to ice.  
  
The Mayor.  
  
'Why are you here so early?' he spoke casually, as if running into a friend on the street.  
  
She swallowed. She didn't know what excuse would sound reasonable.  
  
'Early? Isn't it 7 yet?' It was pathetic, she knew, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.  
  
'Stop lying, you foolish little girl. . .' The Mayor spat out the words, venomous to her ears. 'I know very well why you're here. You've come to help the people in there that I wish to kill.'  
  
Her eyes widened. 'No, I swear, I. . .'  
  
'Rummaged through my office and the Books?' he finished off for her. Faith's digestive system seemed to be forcing her to throw up.  
  
'What?' she uttered.  
  
'You think I don't have cameras in my office, Faith? You think I don't see everything you do?'  
  
She shook her head. It was all too much for her.  
  
'I knew exactly where you'd been all night. Where you were this morning. Unfortunately, I don't know how much information you've divulged to the enemy.'  
  
Faith knew the only thing she could do was run. She backed up into the door. Perhaps she could use the precious seconds to run and warn them about this – she was faster than the Mayor after all.  
  
But not faster than his minions. Two huge scaly demons grabbed her at either side. She struggled, thinking it would be easy with Slayer strength, but it was the complate opposite.  
  
'To the library, boys,' the Mayor commanded. A dozen of the same strong- looking reptilian demons appeared from nowhere. Faith just wanted to cry at the sight.  
  
It was too late for a warning. She just hoped the gang would be ready for this attack.

* * *

'Where is she?!' Prue was panicking at the idea of Faith being found out. Piper was relaxed, but knew that in as little as half an hour, her nerves would be all over the place. 'Prue, it's barely a couple of minutes past six. She'll be here.'  
  
Prue put her in tongue in her cheek, trying to get her mind off the worst possible things that could have happened.  
  
A faint booming was heard in the background. Buffy raised her head suspiciously, and they all listened to the ominous sound.  
  
Marching.  
  
Rhythmic marching of a huge army.  
  
And a low scream – Faith's.  
  
'Faith!' Prue ran towards the double doors of the library.  
  
'Prue, no!' Phoebe shouted. 'You don't know what's out there.'  
  
Prue tensed up, hand on the door.  
  
'Besides,' Buffy added, apprehensively grabbing an axe, 'they are coming here for sure.'  
  
Like in a minor earthquake, the ground began to tremble. Prue sprang away from the door, standing by her sisters.  
  
And then it all happened.  
  
An army of dark green reptilian demons made their way in.

* * *

'Aa-ah. . .' Willow's voice pitch went up and down. 'Buffy? Were we counting on a huge army of demons storming in. . .?'  
  
'I can't say we were, Will. . .' Buffy said nervously.  
  
'Stop!' Piper yelled, sticking her hands out. She could see the Mayor, and knew he wouldn't freeze, but she was hoping the demons would.  
  
They ceased movement for a couple of seconds, but slowly went back to marching.  
  
'I think you'll find we're immune,' the Mayor taunted.  
  
The Scooby Gang could think of nothing else but to fight. Rather than attacking though, they were just about managing to defend themselves and make sure the demons didn't ruin the set-up ritual up the steps.  
  
Cordelia and Wesley ran to hide behind the bookcases – they both knew they had no idea how to fight. The only reason they were there was to see the Mayor destroyed.  
  
Prue tried to concentrate on telekinetically throwing the demons back, even though she knew they were almost completely immune. With all her might, more inner strength than she had ever summoned before, they barely shifted backwards.  
  
Wait – OK, maybe she couldn't move them, but what she could do. . .  
  
Taking in the atmosphere around her, she tried to remember the first time she'd used rage to unlock her power. She just had to remember that, channel all the rage she could. . .  
  
She caught sight of Faith trying to writhe herself free from the demons. It was enough.  
  
Books from all directions zoomed towards the demons and beat them over and over. This would buy some time at least.

* * *

Phoebe backed up into the desk. The three pages from the ritual crumpled beneath her fingers. She snatched them up, and felt her heart stop at a glimpse of the spell on the third page.  
  
Spell to Ally Demons to Your Side.  
  
'Oh my God. . .' she uttered under her breath. 'Prue! Piper!'  
  
'Kinda busy, Phoebs!' Piper called behind her, throwing a book from the floor at a demon.  
  
'Please. . .take. . .care!' Giles shouted amongst the throwing. 'Some of these are one of a kind!'  
  
Buffy shot a look at Giles, meanwhile hitting a demon in front of her repeatedly with an axe. It caused him to cower away.  
  
'Guys!' Phoebe walked over, pulling them back. 'Look!' she pointed at the page.  
  
'Of course!' Prue's eyes widened. The three entwined hands, reading off the paper:  
  
'Let the balance of good and evil be thrown off the scales,  
Demons, be under our control, so our enemy's plot fails.  
Alliance with us, you may mime,  
Nevertheless, make us partners in crime.'  
  
Like mechanical toys, the demons switched off their movement. Faith was released, and she ran over to them. She threw herself gratefully at Prue, who embraced her wholeheartedly.  
  
'What?!' The Mayor's gruff voice roared. 'What did you do to my army?!'  
  
'Sorry,' Piper fake apologized. 'It's our army now.'  
  
He stood rooted to the spot. 'You can't do this to me! Faith – it's not too late. We can take over Sunnydale together! You can have anything you want!'  
  
She sharply fired back: 'I have all I want. . .' a beat, '. . .right here.'  
  
Buffy couldn't help but smile, as she spoke to the demons. 'Take him to the centre of the pentagram, boys.'  
  
The demons crowded around him, taking a body part each. They were too strong for him to fight back. He'd certainly chosen appropriate demons.  
  
He was pushed to the center of the pentagram, the Charmed sisters gathering at 3 of the 5 points. Before he could escape, they chanted:  
  
'Raise the barrier, hold the creature inside,  
As we prepare to destroy it, it can neither run nor hide.'  
  
For the first time they'd ever seen, the Mayor looked scared. A translucent bubble formed around him. He couldn't escape now.  
  
'What's this do exactly?' Oz asked.  
  
'It stops anything from coming out,' Phoebe explained, 'but allows all our potions in.'  
  
'Wait!' Wesley ran over to Faith, handing her an amulet. 'Put this on.'  
  
She smiled. 'Thanks Wes.'  
  
'Faith, stop them!' the Mayor said desperately. 'I love you!'  
  
She looked him right in the eye. 'Don't you use that word. You think you know love – all that you've ever seen is people pretending to love. It's all been false – everything around you.'  
  
'No, Faith!' His cry was genuine. Before his destruction, he'd tapped into his one tiny remainder of humanity. 'Before I die. . .I want you to know that you really meant something to me. . .'  
  
She raised her head, still not trusting what he was saying. The Charmed sisters had refrained from finishing him off until he stopped speaking.  
  
'. . .and I understand the pull of doing the right thing, being a Slayer – the effect it has on you. I thought I could beat that, but obviously I can't. I'm just glad that. . .you opened your heart for me.'  
  
Faith hesitated, thinking about what she could say, what her last words would be to him.  
  
'You're welcome.' She looked at the Charmed Ones. 'Now kill him.'  
  
Prue, Piper and Phoebe took a deep breath. From memory, each holding a vial with individual qualities for destruction, they chanted the spell.  
  
'Your invincibility we now strip away,  
So you cannot transform on Ascension Day,  
The evil you've done and you plan to do,  
We'll now prevent, removing the existence of you.'  
Phoebe: 'The pain you have caused, an eye for an eye,'  
Piper: 'The poison from your mouth, every single dark lie,'  
Prue: 'To Ascend to a great demon, you wished to try,'  
Together: 'Because of all that – now you will die!'  
  
With all their force, they threw their bottles into the bubble at the Mayor's feet. His face was invaded by pain.  
  
'Nooooooo!' He dropped to his knees, screaming in agony. A fire was consuming him, going inwards to out. The last thing they saw was his burning body. He erupted into fireworks within the bubble, which subsequently broke.  
  
He was gone.  
  
Everyone panted – their breaths had been held the entire time.  
  
'We did it,' Willow said simply.  
  
'Yes,' Giles took off his glasses, 'we killed the Mayor.'  
  
'So. . .' Xander went over to Buffy, 'no big snake on Graduation?'  
  
'Guess not.' Buffy dropped her axe lifelessly, walking over to the sand circle and pentagram. She kicked them lightly. 'It's over.'  
  
'So. . .guys?' Faith said slowly. 'Do you trust me yet?'  
  
Buffy didn't know what it was. Perhaps it was the Slayer bond. But she realized Faith had proven herself – she really was on the good side. She ran over to Faith, hugging her tightly in an overwhelming moment of emotion. Faith held a firm grip on Buffy, vowing to fight against evil for always.  
  
'It's good to have you back, Faith,' Buffy whispered in her ear.  
  
Prue smiled. That was another innocent in the 'saved' bag.  
  
'Hey, I have a question. . .' Oz turned his head to the army of a dozen demons standing in perfect formation. 'What do we do with those guys?'  
  
'Wait. . .' Xander came a few meters closer. 'They're under our control, right?' The Charmed Ones nodded weakly. Xander crouched lower, keeping eye contact with the demons.  
  
'Sit!'  
  
All together, they sat down cross-legged.  
  
'Roll over!'  
  
They lay down on their backs and did so.  
  
'Do the Macarena!'  
  
They stood up, about to carry out the cheesy dance, but Buffy intervened.  
  
'No!' She scolded Xander with her eyes.  
  
'Hey, let's each take one as our personal slave!' Cordy suggested.  
  
They started at her bizarrely.  
  
'Huh!' she scoffed. 'Kidding!'  
  
'Well, in any case,' Giles filled the silence, 'we need to get rid of them. We can't exactly have a dozen demons walking around.'  
  
'On the Hellmouth?' Buffy reminded. 'Sounds like a daily occurrence.'  
  
Wesley spoke up. 'I could get the Council to. . .'  
  
All of a sudden, the ground began to shake under their feet. They were terrified for a few seconds, until the huge green demons exploded in front of their very eyes, turning into chickens. The Halliwells burst out laughing.  
  
'Chickens?' Buffy shouted among the clucking and flapping.  
  
'Oh!' Wesley pranced over to the occult books that hadn't been thrown on the floor. Looking at the titles, he pulled one out, flicking through it.  
  
'Aha!' he found the page he was searching for. 'I knew it! Rahmqvist demons!'  
  
'Rahmqvist?' Faith asked.  
  
Giles leaned back on the railing. 'Of course! When Rahmqvist demons fulfil their purpose, they permanently turn into chickens!'  
  
Feathers flapped around everywhere as they all giggled.  
  
'You know. . .' Cordy called above the noise, 'I think the demons would have been easier to explain!'  
  
They were waving their hands about, amulets on their necks swinging left and right.  
  
The doors of the library swung open, and Snyder walked in wearing baggy pajamas and a floppy hat.  
  
'What is-' his voice was incredibly irritated. As soon as he caught sight of the chickens, he looked doubtfully between Giles and Buffy. 'Why is their poultry on my campus?'  
  
'Uh. . .' Willow came up with an idea. 'It's a, um. . .biology project.'  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows. 'About what?!'  
  
'Uh. . .' Xander stood in front of Willow. 'We're uh. . .testing! Testing. . .chickens. . .whether they, um. . .'  
  
'. . .can read!' Buffy finished off. 'We're testing if chickens can read. But uh. . .we're finding that. . .they're not too keen on the books.'  
  
'So I guess it's back to the farm for these guys!' Cordy reluctantly picked one up, cuddling it like a baby.  
  
Snyder's eyes darted left and right. 'School ended 5 hours ago! Go to your homes – I'm trying to get some rest!' With that, he exited.  
  
It was too much. Everyone in the library collapsed laughing, except Oz who was finding he felt a special connection with a lone chicken in the corner.

* * *

A/N: There is one more chapter left to tie up all the loose ends, and for the school year to be completed with a prom and a graduation. As I said before, 8th August at the earliest is next update. And thanks everybody for your great positive feedback and making me finish this story!  
  
Oh, and Rahmqvist = a brand of colouring pencils :)

Another useful place to find demon names is in the ingredients lists of candy :)


	10. Endings and Beginnings

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, etc. . .Neither do I own anything to do with Charmed, which belongs to Spelling Entertainment and Constance M. Burge. I think.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am truly crap with updates, but I have had no time to type this up or anything. FINALLY, it is up, and I will just say, I have a valid excuse – this is the longest chapter I have ever written, trying to tie up loose ends. This'll make all you Bangel 'shippers out there happy. I hope you liked the story guys – let me know what you thought. Nat xxx

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Endings and Beginnings**

The prom hall was throbbing with action. Dance music played in the background, and the dance floor was filled with students.

Oz and Willow strolled in arm in arm, Xander following them like a trailing puppy dog. Giles, who was supervising the dance, walked over to them.

'Hey Giles!' Willow said in an upbeat voice.

'Have any of you seen Wesley?' he asked urgently.

'No – is he missing?' Oz asked.

'Well. . .' Giles looked up and caught sight of the Watcher. 'Mr. Wyndham-Pryce!'

Wesley had walked in with Phoebe and Cordelia on either arm, Prue and Piper walking beside them in elegant dresses.

'Hey!' Xander said to them. 'You made it to the Prom!'

'Well, we are virtually students here,' Prue joked.

'You didn't have any problems getting in?' Willow checked.

'Let's just say. . .' Piper answered cunningly, 'the door person _froze_ when he saw us.'

Willow smiled. 'Gotcha.'

'Now ladies,' Wesley released Phoebe and Cordy. 'I have a Rota here. Cordelia – we dance for two songs. Then Phoebe. We alternate.'

'That certainly makes a girl feel special,' Piper muttered to Prue, as Cordy and Wesley headed off to the dance floor.

'Wesley, you're meant to be supervising!' Giles called out after him, but found himself completely ignored.

'Where are Buffy and Faith?' Prue said, taking in the atmosphere.

'On their way,' Xander replied. 'They had some demonic dogs to take care of.'

'Oh my God, are they OK?' Piper asked worriedly.

'Two Slayers?' Oz said, shifting one eyebrow. 'They'll handle it.'

Just then, Buffy and Faith rushed in breathlessly, brushing themselves off in sleek figure-hugging dresses.

'Woo!' Faith shook her body out. 'We miss anything?'

'Nope,' Xander said nonchalantly. 'The dogs taken care of?'

'No problem,' Buffy said, high fiving Faith. 'We can have our prom in peace – no Mayor, no dogs. . .' she paused, '. . .no date.'

'Yeah, I've decided,' Xander announced, 'that having no date on prom symbolizes our freedom as teenagers. Celebrate the fact that we have personal freedom!'

'Sorry Xand,' Buffy said. 'I see myself as a big loser with no one to dance with.'

'I disagree B,' Faith took Buffy's hand. 'Together, we rule that dance floor.'

They mingled in the crowd, and after not too long were surrounded by guys. Xander watched them longingly.

'Aw, heck, I wanna dance!' He joined the guys, pushing to the center.

Piper pulled Prue to the dance floor. 'Come on Prue, I love this song.' Oz and Willow followed them.

They all danced for a few songs, and then came the dreaded moment – the slow song.

Oz and Willow cuddled each other, while Cordy and Phoebe pulled an arm of Wesley each. Echoes of 'it's my two songs!' and 'no it's not, you just had yours!' came from them.

Piper and Prue rolled their eyes, dragging Phoebe back. 'Come on Phoebs, we can dance together. . .' Piper put her arms around her sister's waist from the back, while Prue put them around her neck from the front.

'It's so unfair!' she bitched, not taking her eyes off the dancing couple. 'If she makes one move on him, the little sl-'

'Phoebe. . .' Prue warned. She kept staring in the direction of the Watcher and her rival.

Meanwhile, Buffy and Faith had split. Buffy saw Giles and Xander awkwardly conversing in the corner. Exchanging looks, Faith said: 'I call your cute Watcher.'

'Deal. It's ex-Watcher though,' Buffy corrected. 'And cute? Don't put scary, wrong thoughts into my mind.'

Faith giggled deeply. 'I try.'

'Come on boys,' Buffy took Xander's arm. 'We refuse to not have someone for the slow dance.'

She took Xander in a friendly embrace, casually chatting to him.

'Having a good time?' she asked.

He shrugged. 'Could be better. I'm dancing with a gorgeous superhero now though, so things are looking up.'

She gave a mild smile.

'How about you?' he countered.

'Same, I guess. The fact that Faith is here is great on so many levels.'

'Tell me about it. I mean, that dress. . .'

Buffy raised her eyebrows.

'. . .is very nice. The prettiest one among all the other hideous ones!' He laughed nervously.

'So my dress is hideous?' Buffy said, mock-insulted.

'No!' he insisted. 'I mean, they're both so refreshing to the fashion industry, I. . .' he gave up. 'Please take my shovel, this hole I've dug is eating away at me.'

She laughed. 'With pleasure.'

They were quiet for a few seconds, until Xander spoke:

'So. . .have you gotten rid of the chickens yet? Cuz if not, we could send them to-'

'Angel?' she said shocked, peering over Xander's shoulder.

'Actually, I was gonna say my godfather's farm a few miles away, but now that you mention it. . .' he turned around, glimpsing the brooding vampire in a tux, '. . .oh.'

She put on a painful expression. 'Do you mind?'

He shook his head. 'Not at all.'

She patted him lightly on the shoulder and slowly walked over to Angel.

'What're you doing here?' she said defensively.

'Someone tipped me off. . .' his gaze looked up towards Willow, who was now staring at them intently. She gave a frightened wave, and then spun Oz around so fast he almost tripped.

'You look beautiful,' he said, noticeably not taking his eyes off her.

'Thanks,' she said flatly.

'You wanna dance?' he offered, outstretching his hand.

Reluctantly, she took it, and before she knew it, they were dancing together. This would've been so blissful – her and Angel dancing at the Prom – apart from the fact she knew he would be leaving after this.

But not if she had something to say about it.

'I hear you defeated the Mayor,' he said, trying to make conversation.

She backed away from him, looking quizzically. 'How'd you know?'

He furrowed his eyebrows. 'Well, there's the fact that everywhere you go, newspapers and TV stations scream the headline "Mayor of Sunnydale missing".'

'Oh.' She hugged her body to his again. 'Good. And it's real lucky he didn't tell anyone he was coming to the high school, otherwise Snyder would have had a field day.'

'Yeah, and that same person who tipped me off before kinda gave me the whole lowdown too.'

Buffy clenched her jaw. Oh, Willow was so gonna die for not telling her she was having secret rendezvous with Angel.

They silently danced for a few seconds, just listening to the sweet notes of the song that would be their bitter end.

'Why didn't you call me to help you?'

She looked up into his eyes. 'I. . .I. . .'

The song ended. The audience clapped and Buffy concluded her thought.

'. . .I can't talk about this here. Come on.' She took his hand and dragged him just outside the front doors of the school into the breezy night. She released his hand, facing him.

'I couldn't. I couldn't – if I had the choice – look at you and think I wouldn't have you much longer.'

He sighed. 'Buffy, it's not like that. . .'

'But it is!' She paused. 'To me anyway.' He looked away, and she used this opportunity to come closer to him.

'You don't understand. I couldn't call you to help, because it would have just. . .triggered all these feelings that I have no control over and made me lose my focus or whatever.'

He was silent. 'You know you're gonna have to get used to me not being there like that.'

'Why, Angel?' she challenged. 'Why, after everything our relationship has been through – the _crap_ it's been dragged through _several_ times – don't we owe it to ourselves to try and make it work? And you're just giving up.'

'We've been through this!' he argued. 'I'm not giving up. I'm moving on, because we both know this isn't gonna work.'

'How can you be _so_ blind?' she threw up her hands, backing away from him. 'It's not about a relationship and whether it'll work or not – comes down to the fact that _I need you._ Whether we're friends, or more than that-'

'That's the thing!' he pointed out accusingly. 'You don't care. What about the fact that I can't stand being close to you, and not being able to kiss you, knowing it might lead to something that will have much worse consequences?!'

'How dare you?!' she said with a trembling voice. 'How dare you say I don't care, when there's nothing and no one I've ever cared more about! We're not animals, Angel, we can restrain ourselves.'

'It's not about restraint,' he clarified desperately. 'It's about desire. We might be able to not act upon it, but it will drive us insane, that tiny thing holding us back.'

'You know what?' she said, putting her hands on her hips. 'I'm sorry.'

He looked puzzled at her.

'I'm sorry that I _ever _let myself fall in love with you. Sorry I ever tried to make a relationship between a Slayer and a vampire work. Sorry that I felt _any _guilt when I killed you, and sorry that I was hopeful – _hopeful _when you came back from hell, when I should've known you'd run away.' She found herself crying.

'Buffy, I. . .' he tried to touch her, but she flinched.

'I'm not giving up on us,' she said through tears. 'If you wanna do that – just go. No arguments. Walk away now.'

He stood immobile, but then turned away from her, sorrowful expression in place, and walked away.

Her knees gave way, feeling the cool wet grass on her dress. It would leave a stain, but she didn't care. Her prom was ruined.

* * *

As soon as the slow song had ended, Phoebe had gone back to fighting over Wesley with Cordy. Prue and Piper just rolled their eyes and looked on in amazement.

'That girl won't give up, will she?' Piper said.

'I think we should seriously start thinking about moving to Sunnydale,' Prue teased.

'Piper?' a voice behind her called.

The familiarity caused her insides to warm. She turned around, only to see Leo standing there in a tux.

'Leo!' she threw herself on him. 'What are you doing here?'

'Come to congratulate you, of course,' he said sweetly.

She smiled widely. 'You heard about that?'

He pulled her onto the dance floor, to a medium speed song. 'I _saw _that.' He twirled her around.

'What?' she said astonished. 'I thought the Elders called you up and you were busy!'

'I was. . .' he answered, taking her back in his arms. '. . .for a short while.'

Her mouth gaped open. 'But we really could have used you! Why didn't you come?!'

He smiled defiantly. 'Elders gave me a front row seat. I could hardly say no.'

She poked him in the chest. 'You are unbelievable.'

'Didn't look like you needed my help.' He dipped her down, but she forced herself back up.

'Yeah, OK, but. . .I missed you Leo,' she said earnestly. 'My moral support was at an ultimate minimum.'

He drew her in closer. 'It's just. . .watching you. It made me realize something.'

Piper held her breath, mentally crossing her fingers.

'I'm never gonna stop loving you. No matter what the Elders say. . .I'm gonna keep on loving you Piper. Until the end.'

They danced for a few seconds, Piper with her eyes wide, unsure of what to say.

'So. . .what does this mean?' she asked with a quivering voice, butterflies fluttering up her stomach.

'I'm with you,' he told her simply, cuddling her, 'because you mean more to me than anything.' He paused. 'Are you with me?'

It didn't take long for her to make a decision. Within moments, they were kissing passionately on the dance floor. A few of the students stopped dancing and started clapping. It was a magical moment – without any magick.

The last thing Piper heard was Phoebe telling Wesley not too far away: 'You see that? That good kiss thing runs in the family.'

* * *

Giles stacked a few books on the shelves, his last batch in fact from the ones that had gone all over the place at the destruction of the Mayor. He looked over his neatened-up library lovingly, thinking that if they hadn't succeeded in defeating him. . .well, none of these rare books would have existed much longer.

But it was Graduation Day morning. His final day with Buffy as a student at Sunnydale High – and then what? Drifting apart? At least she was going to UC Sunnydale with Willow rather than the East Coast like she'd planned initially. If he ever needed them. . .they were just a phone-call away.

The perfect quiet was stirred by the swinging of the double doors, and the bubbling of conversation swam through the room.

'No way,' Oz said, 'I cannot agree.' He and Xander were at the front talking, Buffy and Willow right behind them.

'Oh come on!' Xander stuck his hands out. 'He so is!'

'So what?' Giles asked inquisitively. Xander hesitated before answering. 'OK – the Doctor on Star Trek Voyager. Just a program, or deeper feelings and emotions?'

Giles glared at them. 'It's your Graduation Day, and you're arguing about Star Trek?' He paused before saying, 'of course, he is more than just a program, but still. . .'

Oz gave a little satisfied smirk.

Buffy interrupted their argument, not wanting to hear more sci-fi talk, saying:

'When does the ceremony start?'

'Oh,' Giles checked his watch. 'In about 45 minutes.'

Willow nodded, taking Buffy aside and sitting down at the table with her so they could finish their conversation. 'And he just walked away?'

Buffy's eyes drooped. 'Pretty much.'

Willow cringed. 'That's. . .eesh. But you know. . .he's kinda right.'

Buffy's head shot up. 'What?!'

'Well. . .' Willow chose her words carefully, unwillingly sounding defensive. 'Maybe it would be best for both of you. That you go your separate ways for new beginnings.'

Buffy's face showed one prepared to protest and fight back, but she ended up seeing Willow's point. 'I. . .I guess. If I have to look at it in a good way, that one might as well be it.' She put her head in her hands, stressed even though all the demonic action had passed and it was the end of the school year.

The room was greeted with more excitement as Cordy and Wesley walked in arm in arm, both looking very smug.

'Check it out,' Xander observed. 'Wes only has one woman on him.'

Cordy sneered at Xander. 'Well, just shows – best woman won.' She turned to Giles. 'When's Graduation?'

Giles distractedly checked his watch once again. 'Oh – um. . .in about 40 minutes.'

The Halliwell sisters and Faith made their entrance, all giggling together and seemingly very happy.

'Hey,' Oz said to them.

'Hey,' Prue greeted in reply. 'We have news.' She paused. 'We're going back to San Francisco today.'

Sounds of disappointment went through the room. Except for Cordy of course.

'So soon?' Willow voiced.

'Yeah, well,' Piper explained, 'we have jobs to take care of.'

'And so do I,' Faith added slowly, coming forward. 'I've thought about it and. . .I'm gonna move to San Francisco with super-witches here.'

Buffy stood up. 'What?'

Faith bit her lip. 'I figured. . .demonic Big Bads on the Hellmouth – your department, which you can deal with your friends. San Fran sure could use a Slayer. From what I hear, the demon numbers are huge.'

Buffy smiled, taking Faith's hand. 'Good luck.' They embraced each other.

'So. . .Faith?' Wesley spoke up. 'Um. . .how do you expect me to be a Watcher here for Buffy and for you miles and miles away?'

'I don't,' she replied simply. 'I'm making it easy for ya, Sparky.' She patted his shoulder. 'I quit. I have my witches and their big book for guidance.'

Buffy hid a smile, until Wesley directed himself at her, obviously not too disappointed to not have Faith to worry about anymore. 'Very well – Ms Summers, it's just you and me.'

'No, bird-brain,' she fired back. 'It's just you. After all that's happened recently, I've also made a decision – I quit too. Your Council hasn't helped me at all, I'll tell you that much.'

Wesley looked left and right helplessly, hoping the answer would be on someone's face.

'You can't _both _quit the Council – it's because of them you girls are chosen!'

'I thought it would was cuz of some guys that gave us power eons ago,' Buffy corrected.

'Mr. Wyndham-Pryce!' A new figure had silently entered the library.

It was Quentin Travers, head of the Watchers' Council.

'Mr. Travers!' Wesley said panicked.

'Don't be so worried Wesley,' Travers comforted. 'I'm only here to congratulate you on the effort you've made to prevent the Ascension, and to make sure everything has been dealt with accordingly. Fantastic work, by the way.' He turned his attention to the two Slayers. 'Ms Richards – welcome back.' He outstretched his hand to Faith.

'Thanks,' she said politely, '. . .but no thanks.'

'We're quitting Mr. Travers,' Buffy told him flatly. 'We took care of everything with – guess what – none of your help.'

Travers stared at her in awe. 'You can't quit the Council!'

'Really?' Faith said, mock-surprised. 'Cuz – last time I checked, me and B here were the ones with the fists.'

Giles smiled coyly, hidden away from his former boss.

'What do you expect the Watchers' Council to do without Slayers under their control?' Travers asked frustrated.

'Drink lotsa tea?' Buffy suggested.

'This is not your choice Ms Summers!' he said firmly.

'Too late,' she said finally, staring deeply into his eyes, shooting bullets of hatred at him. 'Come on guys, let's get some good seats.' She led the way through the library double doors, the rest of the gang copying Buffy's example with the piercing glares. Only Wesley and Cordelia remained.

'So Wes,' she whispered, her finger stroking his chest. 'I've got some time before the ceremony. You wanna. . .' she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Both giggling, they ran out of the library.

* * *

The group sat in a row – Buffy at the aisle, next to her Willow, then Oz, Xander and an empty seat intended for Cordelia. The Halliwells and Faith stood with the parents while Giles sat with the teachers. The ceremony was about to begin.

Buffy sat with one leg crossed over the other, tapping her knee, sighing deeply. After everything she'd been through the past three years here, she'd managed to survive. This was the climax of it all – then why couldn't she be enjoying it more?

Suddenly, Cordelia rushed along the row of seats, taking her place next to Xander looking very agitated.

'Where's Wes?' he asked.

'What?! Where?!' she jumped up, head darting left and right in a panicked away. 'Oh, right – that didn't work out.' She thought about the disastrous make-out session they'd just _attempted _to have. That relationship was doomed to fail.

'Ahem. . .' Snyder's fake cough echoed to the students through the microphone on the stage. 'Congratulations class of '99,' he said in a drab voice. 'You've all proved more or less adequate.'

Buffy and Willow exchanged a glance.

'Now, the Mayor of Sunnydale was supposed to be giving a speech right now. . .but unfortunately he has disappeared.'

'Ain't that lucky,' Buffy quipped quietly.

'So I would just give you your little worthless diplomas. . .but I believe one of your fellow peers has something to say.'

He walked off the stage miserably and was replaced by a geeky-looking boy, Jonathan. He placed his hands on the stand, clearly nervous.

'Well. . .it's been a long four years, guys.'

There was a murmur of agreement.

'And now. . .we are here. . .today. . .receiving our diplomas. Something we've all worked hard for.'

Well, this is quite the jolly atmosphere, Buffy thought, looking around to view the sight of various students yawning and picking out the dirt from under their fingernails.

'. . .harder than most,' he added deliberately, preparing to say something more important. 'I think it's fair to say, we live in a place unlike any other. In a place where our lives are endangered on a weekly basis by creatures we never dreamed existed.'

By now, the audience had perked up. They weren't surprised to be hearing the content of this speech – they were very aware Jonathan was right, but at the same time were relatively stunned that someone had finally had the guts to come out and say it.

'I stand here looking at how many of us have survived, and I can't help but think that we couldn't have done it alone.' He paused for effect. 'Most people go through their lives performing small acts of kindness and care that are never recognized as much as they should be. That's why I'm here now to grab the last chance I have – we all as students here have – to give a very belated thank you to a group of people that more than deserve it.' His head turned to the row of seats Buffy and her friends were sitting on. 'We all know who I'm talking about, and they've been working more than just academically for three successful years now to make our lives easier – our streets marginally safer. I know some of us would definitely not have been sitting here if it weren't for them.'

A positive reply sounded from the audience.

'We think you deserve something for that – please make your ways here, Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Daniel Osbourne and. . .Mr. Giles.'

Clapping and cheering egged them on stage, while Cordy crossed her arms angrily. 'I hang out with those losers two years, and I don't get an honor?!'

They climbed on stage together, completely unaware of what exactly was going on.

Jonathan took five little trophies from underneath the stand, handing one to each of them. It had a little statue of angel wings engraved with the word "Sunnydale" on it, and the school colors of red and gold painted on the side.

'We wanna thank you. . .our Sunnydale Guardian Angels.'

The response from the audience became louder and they were even getting a standing ovation. The Charmed sisters and Faith clapped hard and whistled also.

'Wow,' Faith said as it slowly died down. 'I can't believe their work has been noticed.'

'Yeah – how come we never get "Good Samaritan" awards or whatever?!' Phoebe complained.

Snyder interfered, pushing Jonathan aside. 'Alright, alright, enough happiness! You five – return to your seats. Let's get these diplomas handed out and finish this school year.'

Alphabetically each diploma was given to each student in the crowd. As the last name of Jason Zakowski was read out, the students celebrated the moment they'd been waiting for.

With a large whoop, they simultaneously threw their Graduation hats into the air.

* * *

Later that day, after the post-Graduation party, the sun was setting into evening and the Halliwells and Faith were saying their goodbyes.

'It was so great to meet you guys,' Piper took turns in hugging everybody. 'Anytime you're in San Francisco – you know where to go.'

'I'll definitely keep that in mind,' Buffy said gratefully.

Wesley ran past them, chasing Quentin Travers. 'Please, Mr. Travers, this is all a mistake!' he pleaded.

'Well, I'm turned off,' Phoebe informed them, putting her hands in her pockets.

'Thank God!' Piper playfully hit Phoebe's arm, laughing at her sister's pathetic crush.

The sun dropped into the horizon as night descended upon one of the most dangerous cities in the world where night could be experienced.

'I think we should get out of here now,' Faith suggested. 'Night-time in Sunnydale is prone to vampire attacks and traffic.'

'And that isthe _official _town phrase,' Xander joked.

They exchanged their final hugs and reluctantly said goodbye. Just before they left though. . .

'Buffy?' the voice made her jump from behind.

Angel stood, holding a bouquet of flowers.

'Angel,' she said coldly.

'Hey look,' Willow said distractedly. 'People I haven't said bye to yet. . .' she walked away, pulling Oz, Xander and Giles with her. From afar, the Halliwells and Faith all saw what was happening even though they were already halfway to the car.

'I hope she's OK,' Piper said in a quiet worried voice. 'They deserve as much luck as they can get.'

Back between the two of them, the tension was incredibly thick.

'I thought you would have left by now,' Buffy said, not daring to come any closer to him, her eyes fixated on the grass.

'Yeah, I thought so too.' He held the bouquet in front of her, which she grabbed and dropped on the floor emotionlessly.

'Buffy, don't be pissed. . .'

'Oh, I'm not pissed!' she insisted. 'In fact, I'm the total opposite of pissed – I'm. . .unpissed.' She knew it sounded lame, but she couldn't help it.

'I didn't want things to end the way they did,' Angel explained, 'on such awful terms. So I thought I'd get you those flowers,' he pointed to the ones on the ground, 'as a gesture of forgiveness.'

She tapped her foot impatiently, arms folded over, trying her best to remain calm.

'But then I thought. . .'

Her head flew up in surprise.

'. . .I don't wanna do this.'

Her eyes widened.

'I'll get you flowers. . .I'll move away, search for redemption, let you live your life. . .then what? I'll end up helping you fight the Big Fight, you'll help me, we'll stir up old feelings – how will that help either of us move on if we're constantly on each other's minds?'

'Well. . .' she searched her mind desperately for something smart and sophisticated to say. '. . .yeah. . .'

'The bottom line is. . .' Angel took a step closer to her, 'you are the source of my strength – the light at the end of my tunnel. If that's taken away, what is there to fight for?'

Buffy cleared her throat. 'Aside from the never-ending battle and hope for good to prevail over evil?'

'Well. . .that too. But. . .' he took her hands into his, '. . .that battle? I wanna share it with you. Be it as friends, or as acquaintances, or whatever. . .let's be by each other's sides.'

'You really mean it?' she said disbelievingly.

He stroked her cheek. 'No jealousy. No anger. Just. . .support.'

Tears forced themselves in her eyes. 'That sounds like a plan.'

'It definitely is,' he assured. 'Because no matter what happens. . .we'll always be soulmates. Two souls intertwined that have to be there for each other to radiate light; to feel love. If we never have romance. . .we'll share something that 99 of the world never finds.'

She put her arms around his waist, holding him tightly, and he did also.

Side by side, it was a fight to the end.

* * *

Having viewed the scene of affection, the witches and Slayer continued their journey towards the car.

'It looks like all worked out for those two,' Prue said with a content smile on her face.

'I'm really glad,' Piper said, cracking open the boot and stuffing it with their and Faith's bags. 'If Leo and I could work it out. . .so can they.'

Phoebe turned herself toward Faith. 'This is quite a drama you're leaving for the sights of San Francisco.'

Faith shrugged. 'Sometimes you need a new start.' She made sure they were all listening to her. 'I'm really glad you guys came here. I almost feel as if some powers from above made you come and helped redirect me on the right path.'

'No powers honey,' Phoebe smiled sweetly. 'Just some luck with me touching a. . .' she paused, racking her brain and thinking back, but realizing there was nothing to remember. '. . .oh God, I just realized something.'

'What is it?' asked Prue, anxious.

'When I got my premonition. . .I-I wasn't touching anything. . .' Phoebe looked curiously at her sisters.

'You normally touching something?' Faith checked. Phoebe nodded looking away.

'That's weird,' said Piper, trying to think of a plausible explanation. 'I can't believe we didn't realize when it happened. . .'

'I guess we must've been too distracted by what I saw. . .' Phoebe guessed.

'Has that ever happened before?' Faith asked.

'No. . .' Phoebe shook her head. 'Could it be my powers developing?'

'Into what?' Prue asked skeptically. 'Seeing evil coming along randomly? I think you get enough premonitions as it is.'

'It makes no sense. . .' Phoebe leaned back on the car. 'There's no way I could have gotten that premonition unless. . .' She broke off.

'Unless what?' said Piper, eager to find out what her sister was thinking.

'. . .unless someone sent it to me.' Phoebe looked up anxiously. 'Guys, I don't think it was the Power of Three at work here. Something else wanted us here to save the day.'

Piper raised her eyebrows. 'That's not so bad though, right? At least we know it's a good super-being able to tell the future and send it to others.'

'But. . .' Phoebe was still confused. 'Why? Why was it needed? And how did it get in touch with us?'

Faith shrugged. 'I don't think it matters. You did your job – more than you were supposed to. Everything's great. Just guess we'll never know.'

Puzzled, they all took a place in the car together as they drove off into the dusk, heading northward.

* * *

Giles looked on at Buffy and Angel holding one another with so much love and tenderness.

He was definitely proud of his Slayer. She was learning from her mistakes and deciding how to shape her life.

But now he had a new charge, especially with his Watcher career down the drain.

His gaze wandered over to Willow, conversing happily with two best friends. She would make one fantastic witch all right, he knew that.

With a smile, he orbed in a glittery blue light to a hallway styled with ancient Greek patterns. Sure enough, the presence of the two Oracles was bestowed before him.

'All is well?' one said.

'All is well,' Giles replied.

'We are very happy to have helped,' the other Oracle contributed.

'The plan worked better than any of us expected,' Giles told. 'Not only has my new charge benefited from a magick education, we have also destroyed a major threat to the world of good, and redirected a Slayer onto the right path, returning her to our side.'

'All because of one vision the Powers sent to the witch?' the first Oracle said impressed. 'Fate is a remarkable thing.'

'I'd just like to thank you,' Giles said warmly, 'on behalf of the Elders. They are very pleased to have worked with such a strong force in the magickal world.'

'We are glad to have been of service,' the second Oracle answered pleased. 'If the leaders of witches and of fate can get along, who knows what other great things we can cause to come about?'

Giles smiled thoughtfully. 'We'll just have to see.' He stood back, preparing to orb away. 'To the future.' With that, he disappeared in an illuminating sparkling blue light just as he had arrived, the trademark of all Whitelighters.

THE END


End file.
